A New Enemy
by crazychick14
Summary: Sequel to The Soul Master! Lexi is not okay. She's been having nightmares and losing sleep, and her friends are getting worried. Is being the Soul Master taking its toll on her, or is there something more? If you haven't read the Soul Master, read it first!
1. Chapter 1

_Damn. Not again, Lexi._

Kid opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling of his room. It had to be, what? Two in the morning? Three? He listened intently. The October wind blew in the trees outside, and he could hear the leaves blowing around on the pavement. Patty was snoring in the other room. Where was- ah, yes. There it was. The tossing and turning of a person moving around in their bed, and the desperate whimpering of a terrified sixteen-year-old girl. Kid sighed- this was happening far too often to be normal. Something was wrong with Lexi. He pulled the blankets off of him and ran to Lexi's room. Opening the door, he saw he had been right- she was tossing and turning, her face contorted with fear. He walked in and sat on the bed next to her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her close to him and began whispering in her ear.

"It's alright, Lexi," he said softly. "It's not real. It's just a dream, I'm right here. Come on, wake up." Suddenly, she bolted upright with a scream. Before she could do anything, Kid pulled her back to him, holding her close. She was breathing rapidly. The idea that she had only been having a dream had only just begun to sink into her brain, and tears began streaming out of her eyes. She turned her face into Kid's shoulder, and he held her, his cheek resting on the top of her head.

"It was only a dream," he said to her. "It's not real."

"They killed you," she whispered back through her tears. "You and Maka and Soul and everyone. And they made me watch."

"It's alright, Lexi," he said. "Calix isn't coming back. He's-"

"It wasn't Calix this time," she said. "It was someone else. I don't know who, they didn't say anything. And I couldn't see their face. But they just..." She shook her head and kept crying.

"Lexi," he said softly. She looked up at him. "We need to figure this out. You have awful nightmares almost every night. You're losing sleep, and it's affecting the way you fight." She nodded.

"I know," she said, "but I can't. The nightmares aren't connected to any point in my past. I have no idea who the person was. They're connected to my present because you guys were in them... But the person..."

Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. "What if they're connected to your future?"

She was silent, considering this. "That makes sense. Most of my dreams are usually repetitive, but once in a while, I'll have an out-of-the-ordinary dream, and it's actually a vision of something. Like that one last year, with the fire..." She looked scared. "So if that was a vision..."

Kid shook his head. "I'm sure it's nothing. You're just stressed. You _do_ have a lot on your plate, after all."

Lexi nodded. "Yeah... That must be it. Stress."

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked.

"No, you can go back to your room. I'll be alright."

"I don't mind at all, Lexi," he said. She looked up at him.

"In that case, yes." She scooted over to make room for him as he laughed lightly. He got in next to her and pulled her close to him. She smiled. She always slept better when he was with her. She was asleep almost instantly, but Kid stayed awake.

Now she was having visions of their deaths. This was _bad_. And who was the person she mentioned? Was he dangerous? He kept thinking for about an hour until his brain finally shut down and he fell asleep.

* * *

In the morning, Maka and Soul came to get them for school. Lexi had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, but she tried her best to play them off as nothing to worry about. Kid knew better, though, and so did Maka.

Over the past few months, she and Maka had become extremely close. Despite Maka trying to kill her the year before when she first came to the DWMA, Lexi considered Maka her best friend now. They often practiced together, Maka using Lexi and seeing how other weapons worked, instead of just using a scythe all the time. She loved Soul, she really did, but what would she do if Soul was knocked out of battle and the only other weapon around was a crossbow or something? She wanted to branch out with her knowledge of using weapons, though she remained primarily a scythe meister. Needless to say, the only one in the Academy who knew Lexi better than Kid was Maka.

And she knew something was wrong.

But she stayed silent. She would talk to Kid about it later. As they walked to the school, Maka held Soul's hand, and Lexi held Kid's. Lexi's necklace shone in the October sunlight- the necklace Kid had semi-proposed to her with. It was a black chain, and the charm at the end was gray. It was the same symbol as the one Kid wore on his collar, the symbol of the Death family. She was never seen without it around her neck.

They entered class silently. It was Fight Week in Stein's class- for a full week, every meister and weapon partner had to fight other meister and weapon partners in the class. Stein did this every year- it was a competition. The winning team got exempt from homework for the remainder of the week- and major bragging rights around school. Last year, the winners had been Maka and Soul. They were determined to win again, but this Fight Week was different, as they found out on that Monday morning.

"Welcome to Fight Week," Stein said. "This week is about testing your skills as a weapon and meister team- but it's a little different this year. Lexi, come on down here." Lexi looked surprised, but walked down the stairs and stood next to Stein.

"Each of you will face Lexi," he said. Her eyes widened. "But-" she began to protest, but he just continued.

"Lexi has incredible fighting skills," Stein went on to say. "Professor Sid and I will be grading you based on your performance against her on a scale of one to ten." Sid walked in at that moment and stood on the other side of Lexi. Stein turned to her.

"You're to fight your hardest with all of them," he said. "No holding back, not for anyone."

"But-"

"You could use the practice, Lexi," he said. "You're slipping in our one-on-one sessions. You're the Soul Master. You can't afford to slip up." She sighed. She had never told him about the nightmares she had been having.

"Sir, that's not fair!" Kid was standing up at his desk. "You can't possibly expect her to fight everyone in the class, she's gonna get hurt!"

"People get hurt in fights," Stein said. "Fact of life. We're going to start with last year's winners: Soul, Maka, You're up."

* * *

**That was the first chapter! Hope you all liked it! I'm so excited about this story. Credit for the idea goes to Confetti108! Please review, and I don't own Soul Eater!**


	2. Chapter 2

Maka stood across the room from Lexi, holding Soul tightly. The room was waiting in silence. Lexi's fists were clenched at her sides so they wouldn't shake. How could Stein _do_ this to her? Even she knew she wasn't healthy enough to fight every team in this class, how could he think she was? She'd be in the infirmary within fifteen minutes, she knew it. Stein didn't even let her have a weapon. What was he playing at?

Maka's hands shook. She didn't want to fight Lexi, not at all. They were friends. And if Stein had noticed Lexi slipping up in their extra practices, why was he pitting her against the entire class? Maka already knew Stein was probably crazy- they all did. But this? This was just cruel.

"Ready?" Stein asked, taking a seat next to Sid. The two girls nodded.

"Take it easy on her," Soul whispered to Maka. She nodded- she had already planned to.

"Go!" Stein yelled.

Maka took a step forward, but Lexi was faster. Creating a ball of white light in her hand, she threw the orb as hard as she could at the ground. A crack formed in the floor, traveling all the way to Maka and splitting the ground between her feet. Maka leapt on one side of the rift in the floor. Once it stopped moving, it was a good five feet wide and about eight feet deep.

"Damn," Soul said. "She's more powerful than I thought. Be careful, Maka." Maka nodded and ran forward. Swinging at Lexi with her scythe, Lexi took steps back to avoid the blade. No one noticed Maka was purposely-

"Maka!" Stein yelled. "I've seen your full potential. Stop holding back!"

Never mind. He did.

Maka sighed, as did Lexi.

"Maka, you're going to fail unless you go all-out," she said. "I'll be fine." Maka shook her head. "But-"

"Maka, just do it!" Maka squeezed her eyes shut, making her decision.

"No." She stood up straight, holding Soul behind her. "I'm not going to hurt my friends for a grade." She turned to Stein. "Can't you see she's not okay?" Lexi was pale, even though she had attacked only once. She was breathing rapidly. Normally, she would be fine after an energy attack, but this was different. Something was wrong. Stein sighed.

"Maka, Soul. Take your seats. You'll fight again tomorrow." Soul changed back, and the two walked to their seats. Lexi looked at Stein.

"Next group," he said. "Ox and Harvar." Kid stood up, enraged.

"You're having her fight _again_?" He yelled. Stein looked at him. "We've got an hour, Kid," he said. "I'm not wasting a single minute."

* * *

By the end of class, Lexi was struggling to stand. Her energy was gone. She had faced about half of the teams in the class. Stein didn't let anyone help her as her vision swam in front of her.

"Everyone that went today, good job," he said. "Everyone else, be prepared for your turns tomorrow." The bell rang. Kid grabbed his stuff and Lexi's and ran over to her. Wrapping his arm around her, he helped her stand up. They walked towards the door, until Stein called Lexi back.

"Wait outside," she said to Kid. "I'll meet you." He kissed her gently and let her go. She shakily walked to Stein, hands on her hips.

"What the hell was that?" She asked. "Why _me_? I get that I'm different, but that was over the line."

"Starting today, you have extra practices with me," he said. "Every day after school, for two hours." Her eyes went wide.

"Every day, for two hours?" She said in disbelief. "Are you _nuts_? I can't even handle what we're doing now! How do you expect-"

"Weekends, too. Four hours on Saturdays and Sundays."

"What is with you?" She yelled. "This isn't fair! I can't handle this much extra practice with you!"

"You're not strong enough," he said simply. "You have to be tougher. You're the Soul Master, you need the extra practice."

"But-"

"If you keep fighting it, I'll make it four hours after school and six on weekends, that sound good to you?" Lexi shut right up and glared at him. She then walked out without a word.

Kid leaned against the wall outside the door with Maka and Soul. He stood up when she came out.

"What did he say?" He asked anxiously. She sighed.

"More practice," she said. "Every day now. If I fight it, he adds more time onto each practice. He says I need to get stronger." Kid clenched his fists.

"That isn't fair," he said. "You're not healthy enough to do all that extra practice. Why's he doing this to you?"

"Beats me," she said. She looked like she was going to pass out at any second. Kid held her around her waist, helping her walk. "You should go home," he said. "Skip class and get some rest." But she shook her head.

"No, I'm alright," she said softly as they walked into their next class silently.

And so the day went on.

* * *

Finally, when school ended, everyone decided to hang out at Maka and Soul's house. They all sat on the couch, talking and laughing, but Lexi was distracted. Why did she feel like she was forgetting...

Her eyes went wide, and she shot up from the couch. Everyone looked at her.

"Lexi, are you alright?" Kid asked. She grabbed her backpack and pulled on her jacket.

"I forgot about practice!" She said, running out the door. "See you later!" They all watched her leave, confused.

"She needs to relax," Black Star said, listening to her footsteps running down the stairs. Kid sighed and nodded. "I know."

"What's going on with her?" Maka asked him. "She's not herself." Kid sighed.

"She's having nightmares," he said. "Every night. She's losing sleep. The one from last night... I think it was a vision of the future. Weird, I know."

"Lexi's a weird girl," Soul said. "What happened in the dream, if it was a vision?"

"Someone killed all of us," he said quietly. "Usually, it's Calix she dreams of, but this time it was someone she didn't know. I think we're in danger."

* * *

"Professor Stein!" Lexi called, running through the forest. "Professor Stein! I'm sorry I'm late, I forgot!" She stopped in a clearing to catch her breath. She had been running for fifteen minutes straight and couldn't find him. Looking around, she decided to end the chase. She closed her eyes, then opened them. A flash of silver light showed through her eyes, and she searched for his soul.

Yes, there it was. In the tree to her right, halfway to the top. She smiled and walked to the base of the tree and looked up into its branches. He sat there, a disappointed frown across his face. If she hasn't used Soul Perception, she would never have found him.

"You're late," he said flatly. "An hour late, to be exact. I'm disappointed." She backed up a few steps as he jumped from the tree, landing on the ground in front of her.

"I forgot," she explained. "It happens-"

"Lexi, you're different," he said. "You _can't_ forget. You can't mess up. You have to be _perfect_."

"I don't get it," she said. "Why are you pushing me so hard all of a sudden? What's going on?" He didn't answer her.

"You're getting lazy," he said. "Your performance in class today was disappointing. I expect better tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow_?" She said in disbelief. "You can't _possibly_-"

"I expect you will," he said. "You need to be more prepared. Your skills should be more developed than they are, you've had enough time. By now, you should at least know Soul Project."

"What's-"

"Not the time yet. Fight!" He suddenly attacked her, coming at her with a knife he had pulled from somewhere in his lab coat. She barely dodged the blade. She _hated_ fighting Stein. He was so relentless. He never held back, even on days she was sick. They never skipped practice, even if it was pouring rain.

She never stopped to consider why.

She kept dodging the blade, then leapt up when he kicked at her feet. She flipped backwards and landed perfectly. Holding her hand parallel to the ground, palm facing up, an orb of white light formed above her hand. An energy attack. Stein knew them well- it was pretty much the only attack she used. But instead of slamming it into the ground, she threw it directly at him. He ducked, but it hit the tree above him, and he realized the angle was all wrong. She hadn't been aiming for him at all. He looked up- too late.

The top of the tree was crashing down on him, trapping him in a mess of branches and leaves. He was pinned to the ground- unharmed, but beaten. Lexi was impressed with herself- she honestly couldn't believe she had performed an energy attack and won in only one shot. She smirked as she knelt next to him.

"And you think I'm slipping," she said. He chuckled.

"You are. I was going easy on you." Her smile turned into a frown, and with some effort, she pulled the tree top off of him.

"Let's go again," she said. "This time, don't hold back."

He smirked. "I didn't plan to." He came at her with his knife again, but something was different about him. The look in his eyes was brutal, almost... sadistic. Like he enjoyed beating her up.

Then again, he was a psychotic doctor type of guy with a startling amount of knives in his office. It kind of freaked her out, but she refused to show how intimidated she was.

She had to be strong.

They fought for three hours, Stein adding an extra hour on as punishment for being late. By the three hour mark, she was ready to pass out.

"Don't be late tomorrow," Stein said. He had barely even broken a sweat. Except for the first battle, he had one every fight against her that day. She nodded and started walking away.

"Lexi," he called after her. She turned to face him.

"You're looking pale. Eat something when you get back." She sighed and nodded, then continued walking away from him. It was dark by then, and the moon cast eerie shadows over everything. She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, trying to stay warm in the cold autumn air. She passed Maka and Soul's house and walked up to the door. Then, she stopped. They'd be mad at her for running out, she knew it. Then they would ask questions, and it would come down to her telling all of them about her nightmares, and she couldn't let that happen. She took her hand off the doorknob and walked silently back to Gallows Manor, deep in thought.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope you all liked it. I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Two days earlier

"She's not progressing, Lord Death," Stein said as he stood in the Death Room. "She's unfocused. Her fighting is becoming weaker, and she uses the same attacks repeatedly. She's not advancing in her skills at all."

Lord Death nodded slowly. "Stein, Lexi is an extraordinary girl. As well as having advanced powers, she has a relatively high tolerance for pain. Things that would knock a normal person unconscious in a second only make her dizzy. That said, she can tolerate more training." He looked at Stein. "Lexi has to be prepared for anything that might happen. If people learn of her powers, they'll want them for themselves. She has to know how to fight. I want you to do everything in your power to prepare her." Stein nodded.

"Yes, sir. I won't hold back."

* * *

Present day

Lexi didn't have a nightmare that night. Her energy was completely gone, and she slept soundly for the first night in weeks. This made Kid happy, not because he didn't have to get up in the middle of the night, but because Lexi finally had a relaxed night.

Or so he thought.

Lexi slept late the next morning. She missed breakfast, and when Kid finally went to check on her, she was still asleep. He smiled softly and walked to her bed.

"Lexi," he said, shaking her gently. "Lexi, wake up."

She groaned and hit him with her pillow. "No..." He laughed and gently took the pillow out of her hands.

"Come on," he said softly. "We have forty-five minutes until school starts. You have to get up."

"No..."

"Why not?"

"Everything hurts, Kid..."

He stopped and sat next to her. He gently pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. She curled up in a ball next to him.

"I know," he said softly into her ear. "It's alright..."

"No, it's not," she said quietly. "I have to do it again today... Why is he doing this to me?"

"I don't know," he said. He kissed the top of her head gently. "But I'm going to find out."

* * *

"Kid, I don't want to-"

"You have to."

"No, please don't-"

"If you don't, tonight's practice will be longer. You have to. It won't be as bad as you think."

"Yes it will!"

"No it won't."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No. Now stop arguing with me and come on." Kid took her hand and pulled the door open. The entire class looked at him as he dragged Lexi into day two of Fight Week.

"There you are," Stein said, looking at her. "What have I told you about being late?"

She sighed. "Not to..." He nodded. "Extra half hour tonight." She groaned.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" She whined. "I can barely move!"

"No complaining. Maka, Soul. You're up first. No holding back this time, or you fail." Maka's eyes widened as she and Soul walked to the front of the room. Why was Stein doing all of this to Lexi? Soul changed into a scythe, and she stood across the room from her, the same as yesterday.

"Don't hold back, Maka," she said tiredly. "I'm not going to be the one to stop you from getting an A." Maka sighed and nodded.

"Ready?" Stein asked. Lexi nodded bravely. She didn't care who she had to face anymore, she would prove to Stein she _didn't_ need extra lessons.

"Go!"

Maka ran forward and leapt into the air, swinging Soul towards Lexi's head. She ducked and rolled out of the way just as the blade slammed into the ground where her head had been. She quickly got to her feet and looked at Maka, fists clenched. There was no reason to be mad at her for this: only Stein. /He/ was the one to blame. Maka came at her again, swinging Soul like a pinwheel. Lexi ducked as the blade passed just over her head, narrowly missing the end of her nose.

At his desk, Kid's fists were clenched. What were Stein's motives for working Lexi like this? If she were at her normal health, the fight would be over by now. What reason did he have for hurting her? He flinched every time the blade of the scythe got close to Lexi. What was Stein's objective?

Things weren't going well for Lexi. Maka was beating her. She was backed into the corner of the room, with no weapon. A girl armed with a scythe and aiming for an A was rampaging towards her quickly. In short, she was as good as dead.

"Soul," Maka said lowly, so no one else would hear.

"Yeah, Maka?"

"We need to Resonate."

"What? If we use Witch Hunter, it'll practically kill Lexi!"

"And if we don't Resonate, Professor Stein will just work her harder until she can't even get out of her bed in the morning. Just do it!"

Soul grumbled, but Maka was right. "Fine," he said lowly.

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!" They shouted together.

The scythe glowed, and suddenly, the blade grew. It turned a purplish-blue, and had a wickedly sharp blade.

"Witch Hunter!" Maka yelled out. She took off, running towards Lexi, who was leaned against the wall.

"You idiots!" Kid shouted, standing. "What are you doing Resonating? You're going to kill her!"

They kept going.

Lexi knew that this was bad. With the way she was now, Witch Hunter _would_ kill her. She had to move, but her entire body hurt, and she couldn't. She looked up. Maka was advancing on her quickly, Witch Hunter illuminating her face and making her look absolutely deadly. She saw Kid, fists clenched, unable to do anything.

No.

Her eyes flew open, glowing silver. Her head shot up to look at Maka, and she held out her right hand.

"NO!" She screamed. A beam of silver light shot out from her palm and hit Soul. Maka cried out in pain and dropped Soul on the ground, looking at her hands. Soul had burned her. What? Why? She and Soul... Their wavelengths were perfectly attuned to each other. Nothing could mess that up. She looked at Lexi. The girl was now standing, her eyes still glowing sliver.

Lexi could change her _own_ wavelength. But was it possible she could change the wavelengths of other people? She tested out picking Soul up again- nothing. No pain, no burned hands. Their wavelengths were back to normal.

Stein put his pencil down. "You all get A's," he said with a smile. Lexi's eyes began to fade back to hazel, and she swayed on her feet. Maka had just enough time to run up and grab her before she passed out.

* * *

**Motives have been revealed! Does Lexi have a new power? Please review, reviews make me update faster! I don't own Soul Eater.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Do you think she's alright?"

"I hope so."

"I dunno, she looks really pale. When's the last time she ate, Kid?"

"Um... Breakfast yesterday, I think."

"That's too long. Has she been sleeping norma-"

"Shut up, she's moving!"

"Lexi? Can you hear me? It's Kid."

Lexi's eyelids slowly opened. She was vaguely aware of someone holding her hand, and figured it was Kid. The first person she saw when her head stopped spinning enough for her to focus was him. That helped her to relax as she surveyed everyone else around her.

Kid was on her right, and sure enough, he was holding her hand. Maka was on her other side, next to Soul. Tsubaki stood at the end of the bed, and Black Star stood on Kid's right. Patty and Liz stood a bit behind everyone, but they were still close. Everyone had worry written all over their faces. Lexi groaned softly and her free hand went up to her head. She had a pounding headache. Her mouth was dry, and her entire body ached.

"How are you feeling?" Kid asked softly.

"Like someone kicked me in the head repeatedly and a scorpion made its nest in my mouth," she responded hoarsely. Kid helped her sit up as the school nurse brought her some water.

"What happened?" She asked quietly. Maka and Soul glanced at each other.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Maka asked. Lexi thought for a moment.

"You and Soul coming at me with Witch Hunter," she said. "After that, there's nothing until waking up."

"Okay," Maka said. "Well, while I was attacking you-" she, Lexi, Soul, and Kid all winced. "-your eyes just started... glowing silver. I could see your soul expanding around you. It was _huge_, bigger than anyone's I've ever seen expanded. Then you looked right at me and raised your hand, and this... this _beam_ of silver light shot out of it and hit Soul. He burned me, and you passed out in the middle of class. We took you to the infirmary- you've been asleep since. School just let out for the day."

"What grade did we get?"

Everyone snapped to attention, looking at her.

"What?" Soul asked, confused.

"What grade did we get?" Lexi repeated. A smile slowly broke out on Kid's face, and he began to laugh. Everyone else soon began laughing as well, leaving Lexi very confused.

"What?" She asked. "What's so funny?"

"You," Kid replied.

"Me?"

"You could have been _killed_," Tsubaki said through her laughter, "and you're thinking about the grade you got?"

"I could stop thinking about it if someone told me."

Maka giggled. "We got an A," she said. She didn't feel very bad about attacking Lexi- she, Kid, and Soul had talked about it, and Kid had agreed that she took the right course of action, considering the circumstances. Lexi nodded. "Good."

"So... What exactly did you _do_?" Liz asked. "Professor Stein looked pretty shocked."

"I... have no idea," she said quietly. "And I don't remember doing it, so I can't so it again." She sighed. "I wonder if I'll get out of practice tonight..."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," the school nurse said. "You hit your head pretty hard when you fell. You're not doing any fighting, much less extra practice, with a concussion."

Lexi fist-pumped the air. "Yes!" She shouted. "No practice!"

"Just because you're not fighting today, don't think you're off the hook." Lexi groaned as Stein stepped out from behind the door. He lit a cigarette, and the nurse pulled it out of his mouth. "Is there anywhere you _don't_ smoke?" She asked. Stein shrugged and looked at everyone.

"You can all leave," he said to them. Everyone sighed and walked out slowly.

Everyone except for Kid.

Stein raised his eyebrows at the boy, but Kid didn't move. "I'm not leaving," he said.

"Kid, this is between me and Lexi, so if you'll just-"

"Professor, you've been working Lexi too hard," he said. "If it weren't for all of your 'extra practice,' Lexi might not have passed out. Anything you can say in front of Lexi, you can say in front of me." Lexi smiled at him and squeezed his hand, then nodded at Stein.

"He's staying," she said. Stein sighed.

"Very well," he said. "Lexi, do you remember yesterday's practice, when I told you you should be up to Soul Project by now?" She nodded. "Well, you just performed Soul Project."

"That's great!" She said with a smile. "I'm up to speed!"

"What exactly _is_ Soul Project?" Kid asked.

"It's very advanced and _very_ hard to perform," Stein said. "As with most of Lexi's powers, only she can do it. Because her soul is different than everyone else's souls, she can literally _project_ her soul's wavelength onto a weapon and cause their soul's wavelength to change. Only for a second, but it diverges the weapon and meister's wavelength completely so they don't match at all."

"But that's... not possible," Lexi said. "Sure, I can change _my_ wavelength, but... changing the wavelengths of others? That's... borderline evil."

"That's why we don't like you using it on students," he said. "Once you master Soul Project, you will _only_ use it in times of great need. But it takes a lot of energy out of you."

"I kinda got that," she said, gesturing around her at the infirmary. Kid chuckled.

"However, there's a problem," Stein continued. Lexi looked at him and sighed. "There always is..."

"There are moves in between where you are now and using Soul Project you need to learn," he continued. "Moves that will make you stronger and more resilient, so you won't pass out in the middle of my class." Lexi glared at him. "You know," she said, "you're really annoying."

Stein chuckled. "The feeling is mutual, Lexi. Now, I don't want you to use Soul Project until you've mastered the moves that come before it, alright?" She nodded.

"Now that we know you're actually _capable_ of using at least _one_ advanced move, you're going to start with longer practices-"

"No," Kid interrupted him. "Longer practices are out of the question."

"Kid," Lexi said quietly, looking at him. "You can't control the practices-"

"Lexi, you're not okay," he said. "You're passing out in class, you don't have the time or the appetite to eat anymore, and you're losing sleep because of those damn nightmares. I'm not going to let-"

"Nightmares?" Stein asked, looking at her. "What nightmares?"

"I have nightmares all the time," she tried assuring him. "I didn't exactly have an easy past, it comes back to haunt me."

"What happens in them?" He asked.

"...nothing," she lied. "I can't remember in the morning." She squeezed Kid's hand, and he got the message. _Don't say anything._ Stein nodded.

"I'll lay off the extra practice until you've healed," he said. He stood up and walked towards the door. "And eaten something. You're looking pale." He then walked out, and Kid looked at her. She shook her head and leaned back against the pillow in defeat.

* * *

**Chapter four! Hope you all liked it, I spent a long time writing this. I don't own Soul Eater! Please review, favorite, and follow!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, Lexi, you have to eat _something_," Kid plead. It had been two days. Lexi was out of the infirmary and back in classes. "Why won't you eat?"

Lexi shrugged. "No specific reason, Kid. I'm just not hungry." Kid sighed deeply. He went to the fridge and pulled out some celery, then stood and showed it to her. Her eyebrows rose."

"Celery?" She asked with a smile. "Kid, I think you're starting to lose it." He smiled and walked over to her closing the fridge with his foot.

"Just one stick of celery," he said, pulling one out of the bunch and holding it out to her. "That's all I'm asking." Lexi laughed and rolled her eyes, but took the celery from his hand. She took a bite, and he smiled.

"Thank you," he said. "That's all I wanted." She smiled and swallowed the bite of celery, then hopped up and sat on the countertop.

"So what do you think of this whole Soul Project thing?" She asked him. He sat next to her on the counter with his own piece of celery, chewing slowly, and shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "It's still new to you, and Professor Stein doesn't want you using it yet."

"I know, but I've never _accidentally_ discovered a power like that before," she said. "Maybe there's a reason I discovered it..."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kid said. "You're advancing. That's a good thing." He took a bite of celery, and she stared at her hands.

"Yeah, but... What if I'm advancing too fast?"

* * *

"Again."

Lexi groaned and got off her knees. Stein stood about ten feet behind her, arms folded in front of his chest.

"Can't I take a break?" She said breathlessly. They were in the woods outside the DWMA. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, but that didn't have Lexi's attention at the moment. Stein wasn't letting her leave until she unlocked the next power- Soul Shield. According to him, she could use her soul wavelength to create an impenetrable shield. It sounded pretty cool, and she was excited to try.

That is, she _was_ excited, but she lost that excitement after her fifth failure.

They had been outside since five o'clock in the morning. She didn't know how long she had been training, but it had _definitely_ been longer than four hours. As hard as she focused, she couldn't bend her wavelength to create a shield.

"No," Stein replied. "Not until you've successfully created a shield at least once. Do it again."

She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. She stood in the middle of the clearing and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply- in through the nose, out through the mouth. A light breeze blew through the clearing and rustled her hair around her shoulders. The same wind blew around her in a perfect circle, and as Stein watched, her soul expanded around her.

'_Focus_,' she thought to herself._ 'You can do this. Focus...'_

"Come on, focus!" Stein yelled at her. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes tighter. _'Block him out...'_

"Hurry up!" He yelled. His voice was like taking a rock to a mirror, and her focus shattered. Her soul wavelength exploded outwards, rushing over Stein and blowing leaves off the trees around them. She cried out in pain and dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Every failure hurt her- physically and emotionally. Stein sighed.

"You can't keep doing this," he said. "You have to learn to focus-"

She stood up quickly and turned to him. "I _was_ focused!" She yelled at him.

"If you were focused, you would have done it!" He yelled back.

"I couldn't do it because _you_ distracted me!"

"Calm down, Lexi."

"_No_!" She stormed up to him. "I am _so_ fed up with you! All you do is tell me what I'm doing wrong! How do you expect me to improve if I don't know when I've done something right?" Her eyes stung. She mentally cursed herself for tearing up.

"Calm down," he said coolly. "You're just frustrated." She looked down, shaking her head. "You have no idea..." She mumbled.

"Excuse me?" He asked. She looked up at him.

"You don't understand what this is like for me," she said. "Every failure _physically_ hurts. I wake up in the morning and everything, _every_ part of my body aches. Then, you make me fight the _entire_ class when I've been losing sleep as is. I don't have time for regular meals anymore, much less the appetite for them, and the only time I actually see my friends anymore is in class!"

"Derek never complained," he said simply. That stopped Lexi.

"What?" She asked, eyes narrowed at him.

"Derek had a difficult life too, Lexi," Stein said coolly. "He never complained, not once. He took his job very seriously- more seriously than you are." Anger boiled inside her, and she glared at him.

"What are you saying?" She asked through gritted teeth, ice dripping from every word. Stein leaned down and looked her in the eye.

"You need to focus," he said. She clenched her fists.

"I already told you, I _am_ focused!" She yelled.

"You are accomplishing _nothing_," he replied.

"Maybe it's not my fault!" She screamed. "Maybe it's because _you're_ a terrible teacher!"

"_Maybe_ it's because you're a terrible Soul Master!" He had finally lost his patience with her. She froze, a look of utter shock on her face. She bit the inside of her lip, but it didn't help. She ran off, darting through the trees and leaving him behind.

She ran right to Gallows Manor. As she ran up the front steps, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and they began streaming out of her eyes. All she wanted was to be alone. She burst through the front door.

All of her friends were there- Maka, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki- not to mention the people who actually _lived_ in Gallows Manor. Everyone turned and looked at her- or, rather, at the tears streaming down her face. Kid stood.

"What happened, Lexi?" He asked. No. All she wanted was to be alone. She shook her head and ran for the stairs. He followed her, but she made it to her room before he could catch up to her. She ran inside and slammed the door shut, then leaned back against the wall. A choked sob escaped her throat and she slid down the wall and sat on the floor, holding her knees to her chest. She could hear Kid knocking on her door but ignored him.

Stein was right. She was a terrible Soul Master. She couldn't even make a simple Soul Shield, and she complained about how hard she was working. He was right, about everything. She put her face in her hands and cried.

She was a terrible Soul Master.

* * *

"Titus. Come in here."

"Yes, my lady?" The man stepped forward from the shadows. He was tall and pale, with light brown hair and an evil gleam in his sea green eyes. A sword was strapped to his belt.

"You've heard of the Soul Master, am I correct?" Her voice was sweet, but had an evil side to it. Like poisoned wine. Titus nodded.

"Yes, my lady," he responded respectfully.

"Then you know the Soul Master holds unthinkable power." Her voice was quiet, but dripped with authority and commanded respect. "I want that power working for _me_." She leaned forward from the grand chair she was seated in, and the light hit her face. Titus didn't flinch, as most other men would.

"Because of your inability to perceive and see souls," she said, "this task will be difficult for you. But I have faith you can complete it."

"Thank you, my lady," he said, bowing his head in respect.

"You are to choose your best men and spread out across the world. Look for the people whom you would consider possible for them to be the Soul Master. Take them- by force, if necessary- and bring them to me." Titus nodded.

"Consider it done, Lady Scorpius."

* * *

**A NEW ENEMY!? *gasps* what's going to happen? Find out in the next chapter! I don't own Soul Eater. Please review, I haven't gotten many reviews... Please...**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Kid was up early. Lying in bed and trying to fall back asleep, all he could think about was Lexi. What had Stein done to make her so upset that she wouldn't even open the door to talk to him? He had sat outside her door for three hours straight at night, waiting for her to come out and talk to him, but she never did. He figured she had fallen asleep, and when he opened the door to check on her around two in the morning, he found he had been right- she was curled up in a ball on the floor, fast asleep. Tears stained her cheeks, which only made Kid madder at Stein. He had walked in and picked her up, then set her gently in her bed. Kissing her forehead softly, he had then left and went to his own room.

He groaned and pulled his blankets off of him, then got up and walked to Lexi's room. Pushing the door open silently, he peeked in. She was still fast asleep. Good. He closed the door just as silently as he had opened it and went to the bathroom to take a shower. In his room, he fixed his hair so the three white stripes were perfectly parallel to each other. He got dressed and headed silently downstairs.

To his surprise, Liz and Patty were already down there, sitting at the table with a glass of milk in front of each of them. He stopped when he saw them.

"You worried too?" Liz asked him. He nodded and took a glass out of the cabinet, pouring himself a glass of milk as well and sitting next to Patty.

"I don't understand," he said quietly, staring at his drink. "She _always_ talks to me. What did Stein do?"

"Well, we can't ask him," Liz said. Kid looked up at her.

"I know," he replied. "The only way we're going to find out is from Lexi herself, and I have a feeling she's not going to want to tell us."

"What gave you _that_ idea?" Liz asked sarcastically. Patty giggled. "Why don't you just ask Lord Death to look it up on his mirror?" She asked while happily coloring in a crudely drawn giraffe. Kid opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

"That's actually a really good idea," Liz said.

"But do you think he'll let us?" Kid asked.

"You're his son," she replied. "He's _bound_ to let you see it. Besides, he likes Lexi, and if he knows you're doing it to help her, he's even more likely to show us." Kid nodded. "Should we go now?" He asked. Liz stood, pulling Patty up after her, and nodded.

"Lexi will be mad if she finds out," she replied. "Going while she's asleep and lying when we get back is the best thing we can do."

Kid seemed to ponder this as they walked to the front door. "I've never lied to her before..."

"There's a first time for everything. Besides, it's to protect her. Now come on, we've got a long walk and not a lot of time." Liz pulled the door open, and a chilled October breeze rushed in. Kid pulled the door closed once they were outside with a final _click_ and they walked towards school.

* * *

_"They're coming for you."_

Lexi turned in a circle, searching to find the person with the voice, but there was no one there. That voice gave her goosebumps, and she was intimidated by simply being in earshot of it. The space around her was pitch black, and wearing a white dress didn't help with the whole "blend into the background" thing she so desperately wanted.

_"They're coming for you."_ From her right this time, and she spun around to face whoever was there. Still no one. Why was she so scared? It wasn't like she hadn't faced creepy voices in her dreams before, right? But this one was somehow... different. It was feminine, ice cold and dripping with a sweetly evil quality.

Like poisoned wine.

_"They're coming for you."_

"Who's coming for me?" She yelled. Her voice echoed around her and eventually faded away into the blackness, without being answered.

_"I am."_

The voice was right next to her ear and made her jump and practically scream. This time, the voice was masculine, deep and proud. It commanded authority and scared her, though not as much as the woman's voice did. She turned and punched the air, but something caught her hand and twisted it behind her back. Rope was wrapped around it, and as hard as she fought, her other hand was soon restricted as well.

'_It's just a dream_,' she thought. '_It's not real. Calm down, just- wait. If this is a dream, why can I _feel_ pain?_'

Her eyes suddenly shot open, and she screamed when she saw him. He was standing over her, tying her hands together just like in the dream. She began kicking at him, but he ignored her flailing legs and eventually tied those up, too.

"Kid!" She screamed, hoping to wake him up. "KID!" Damn, why wasn't he coming in? The man pulled something out of a bag near his feet- a white cloth. Lexi looked confused, but when he began bringing it to her face, she figured it out.

Chloroform.

"KID!" She screamed desperately. "HELP! KI-mmpph!" The cloth was over her mouth and nose. She screamed and fought desperately, trying not to breathe it in, but it was no use. She could feel her body going numb, and as hard as she fought to keep them open, her eyes slid closed. The last thing she felt before falling completely asleep was being picked up. She faded into the blackness.

* * *

"I can't believe he wouldn't show us!" Kid yelled angrily as he, Liz, and Patty walked through the streets back to Gallows Manor. Lord Death had flat-out refused to show them what had happened between Lexi and Stein and didn't even tell them why. As they finally reached the house, none of them noticed Lexi's window hanging open. They walked inside, expecting Lexi to be in the kitchen, but she wasn't.

"She must have slept in again," Kid thought out loud. "I'll go get her." Liz nodded as Patty went back to coloring her giraffe. Kid walked up the stairs to Lexi's room and knocked softly on her door.

"Lexi?" He called quietly. "May I come in?" He sighed when there was no response. "Look, I know you're upset, but I just want to make sure you're... awake..." What was that smell? It was faint, but it was sweet, and he suddenly felt a bit tired. No, it was nothing. He sighed and knocked again, then slowly opened her door.

A cold breeze hit him in the face, bringing that sticky-sweet smell with it. His eyes widened in shock- the window was open and she wasn't there. Her bed was a mess, like there had been a struggle.

"Lexi?" He called. He ran to his room- not there. She wasn't in the bathroom, or the living room. She wasn't in the house. He ran to the open window in her room and noticed a bit of blood on the side of it.

"No," he said to himself as reality sank in. He ran from the window and into the living room, then burst through the front door onto the street.

"LEXI!" He screamed, hoping she would hear him and she was just playing some awful trick. "LEXI!"

"Kid!" A voice shouted back to him- but not hers. He turned as Soul came running up to him. He looked scared and frazzled- probably just the same as Kid.

"Soul, Lexi's missing," Kid said desperately. "Have you seen her?"

"Lexi's missing?" Soul asked, shocked. "Kid, this is bad."

"I know that. We have to-"

"Kid," Soul said, grabbing the boy's attention.

"What, Soul?"

"Maka's missing, too."

* * *

**Dun**

**Dun**

**DUN!**

**Lexi AND Maka are gone! What happened to them? What ****_will_**** happen to them? Find out in the next chapter! I don't own Soul Eater. Reviews would be nice!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on, Lexi, wake up... I need you here..." Lexi felt her arm being shaken. She groaned. "Kid, stop... I'm up, I'm up..." She didn't want to open her eyes. She knew the situation- she was home, and Kid was trying to wake her up because something in the house was asymmetrical, but he didn't know what. "I have a feeling," he would always say, "that something isn't right." He would then ask her to walk around the house with him and look. She always did- she loved just being with him, walking around and holding his hand. Unlike everyone else, she found his symmetry paranoia cute.

"Lexi, I'm not Kid. I'm Maka. Please, open your eyes."

Wait. That wasn't right. Kid wouldn't say that. What was going on? She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Maka, who was sitting above her. From the angle she was looking at Maka, she realized Maka had laid Lexi's head in her lap. She sat up slowly and pain burst through her head. She groaned.

"What hit me?" She asked.

"I don't know," Maka replied, "but you took a pretty bad blow to the head. That's why you were the last to wake up, I'm guessing."

"The last of who..." She looked around them. At least fifteen people were crowded into a small jail-like holding cell around them. The cell was inside a slightly bigger room, with a metal door Lexi assumed was locked from the outside. Maka and Lexi were in the corner, and most of the people were looking at them. They all looked tired and scared. All of them were in their pajamas. Lexi looked at Maka's hands- there were red marks all over her wrists. She realized this was the same for all of the people there, and she looked at her own wrists. The markings stood out, an angry red in the dim light. Lexi had seen them before- they were rope burns.

Suddenly, she remembered. It all came back to her at once- the dream, the voice of the lady, and waking up to a man standing over her. Getting tied up, and the chloroform knock-out. She remembered seeing her window open- she must have hit her head while he was carrying her out. But why was Maka here? Who were all these people, why were they here? What trait did they have in common that someone would bring them here together?

Lexi's forehead throbbed. She raised her hand to her head and immediately regretted the action- pain exploded from the cut she felt there. Maka gently took her hand and pulled it back down.

"Don't touch it," she said. "It'll get infected if you do."

"Who are all these people?" She asked quietly.

"My name's Jared," the guy nearest to them spoke up. He looked to be about twenty-five, with black hair and ice blue eyes. "I'm from San Francisco."

"Patrick," another man said. He had an Irish accent, red hair, and brown eyes. "I'm from Ireland."

"Marissa," another woman from the middle of the group said. Brown hair and blue eyes. "Britain."

Lexi sat up further and leaned against Maka, who held her upright. She was getting dizzy, but refused to pass out again. She surveyed the group of people- there seemed to be people from all over the world. What brought them here together in this tiny prison?

"I don't understand," Lexi said. "Why us?" She was met with silence. She figured no one knew.

"So how did you get taken?" The Irish guy- Patrick, right?- asked. Lexi blinked, trying to remember details.

"I woke up and a guy was standing over me in my bed," she said. She purposely left out the dream. "My hands were tied, and he tied my feet together too." She realized she had rope burns on her ankles as well. Now that she knew they were there, they all of a sudden started hurting more. She tried to ignore the pain and kept going. "Then he held this white cloth to my face, and I realized it was chloroform, and I was screaming and trying to get away but he held me down, and... I passed out..." She had begun to panic. Retelling the story caused her to relive the moment in her head. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she looked up at Maka.

"How'd it happen for you, Maka?" She asked. Maka sighed.

"Same way it did for you, except I didn't wake up until I was already tied up and he had the chloroform on my face. I didn't even have time to scream." She looked down, and Lexi grabbed her hand.

"It's gonna be okay," she assured her. "I'm sure Kid and Soul are looking for us right now." Maka sighed and nodded. There was a moment of silence.

_BAM!_

Everyone jumped as the metal door to the small room was thrown open. A silhouette of a man stood in the doorway, the white light behind him making his figure just a shadow. He turned and flipped on a nearby light switch and illuminated the room.

He was tall, with pale skin and dark hair. His sea green eyes gave Lexi chills, and she tried not to flinch when they looked into her hazel eyes. A sword was strapped to his belt. He was intimidating- just being in the room with him made Lexi feel like she wanted to crawl under a rock and die for simply daring to look at him. He strode forward into the room, allowing the people behind him to walk in. A man, smaller and less intimidating than him, walked in. Another man followed him, and Lexi assumed they were both guards. The last man to enter closed and locked the door behind him, and the three stood in front of the group.

"Welcome," the man said. "My name is Titus." A chill ran down Lexi's spine. That was him- the man's voice from her dream.

"What do you want with us?" Some brave soul asked him. He sounded young and Italian.

Titus chuckled. "We only require one of you to stay," he said. "Once we find out which one of you that is, the rest are free to go. Unlock them."

The guard that had entered after Titus ran forward and hastily unlocked their cage. Everyone stood, Lexi somewhat shaky on her feet, but no one dared leave the prison. The bars may have been intended to keep people in- but they also worked both ways and kept Titus and his guards out. The guard backed away from the door, and Titus chuckled.

"Afraid, I see," he said coolly. "Not what I expected from possible Soul Masters."

Lexi's stomach dropped into her feet. Maka's hand tightened around her shoulder, and Lexi could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. The group looked shocked, and Titus chuckled again.

"Yes," he said. "One of you is the Soul Master. I intend to find out which one of you that is. Now, Soul Master, listen closely." Lexi was pale, and her hands were shaking.

"Step forward," he said, talking to the entire group but addressing her, "or I will administer a test on every person in this room until I find you. And I promise-" a sadistic grin crossed his face. "-the test will not be pleasant." No one moved. Lexi could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Her feet were rooted to the ground. Titus scanned every face in the small cell, then sighed.

"Bad move, Soul Master," he said. He strode to the cell door and grabbed the nearest person- an older man who looked to be about fifty-five years old. Pulling him out of the cell, he shoved the man forward. He stumbled but stayed on his feet and turned to face Titus.

"All of you exhibit qualities of an exceptional fighter," he said. "Now, I want to know which one of you exhibits the _soul_ part of the Soul Master." He drew his sword and pointed it at the man.

"No, p-please," the man stuttered. "I'm not the Soul Master or whatever. I have a family, a wife and kids, please-"

"Too bad," he said. "Fight back or die." He took a step forward, and time slowed down for Lexi.

How did they find her? And how could this man be so heartless as to be willing to kill an innocent old man? This wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Lexi was not about to let this man die because she was too much of a coward to act. She watched Titus advance on the man, and the man raised his arms in a final attempt to shield himself from the blade. Anger boiled inside Lexi, but she couldn't make herself speak.

'_Come on!_' she thought to herself. '_Save him! Just say four words, that's it. Four words will save all of these people's lives._'

She took a deep breath.

"Stop!" Her voice was quiet and timid. She cleared her throat. "STOP!" It was louder, and Titus heard it. He stopped his blade inches from the man's head and looked at her.

"Excuse me?" He stood, taking the blade away from the man. He collapsed on the ground. Maka's hand tightened around Lexi's shoulder.

"Lexi, don't," she whispered. Lexi shook her head. "I have to, he'll kill all of them." She took a step forward, and Maka's hand dropped from her shoulder. Her hands were shaking and she knew she was pale, but none of that mattered.

"I'm the Soul Master."

Titus smirked. "I find that hard to believe, but my men chose you for a reason. Come here and prove it." Lexi took a deep breath and walked out of the cage, but stepped right past Titus and walked to the man. She extended her hand, and he took it. She pulled him onto his feet, and he stumbled back into the cage. He looked terrified, and Lexi sighed. Turning to face Titus, she glared at him. "How would you like me to prove it?"

He smirked. "Lady Scorpius told me of your powers," he said, "but you're still young. However, I'll assume you have the most important one down..." He drew his sword again. Without taking his eyes off of Lexi, he swung it around- impaling it in one of the guards' chests. The guard gasped, and in a moment, his body was gone and his soul was left, floating about four feet above the ground. Lexi gulped. The group in the cage looked horror-struck, and one of them looked like they were going to vomit. Titus put his sword back in its sheath and gestured to the soul.

"Release it," he said. "Prove to me I'm not wasting my time on you."

"Lexi, don't!" Maka cried. "They're going to hurt you if you do!" Lexi shook her head. "They'll hurt all of _you_ if I don't." She sighed deeply and looked at Maka. "When you get out of here, tell Kid I love him." She then closed her eyes, and when they opened, they glowed silver. The remaining guard looked shocked, but Titus's expression didn't change as he watched her. She took a step forward and grabbed the soul from where it floated. She slowly closed her hand around it and crushed it. Titus looked utterly shocked and a bit impressed as the bits of soul dust blew away with an invisible wind no one could see. Her eyes faded back to hazel, and she stumbled on her feet. Maka rushed out of the cage and grabbed her, only to be grabbed herself by the guard and thrown back in the cage. Lexi dropped to her knees, panting. She wasn't used to Releasing souls yet, and it took a lot of energy from her body. The guard closed and locked the cage door, then pulled Lexi off the ground and held her. Titus looked impressed.

"You're a brave one," he said. Maka rushed up to the bars, getting as close as she could to Lexi. Lexi looked up at Titus weakly. She hadn't had much energy to begin with, and now she felt like she was going to pass out. Titus addressed the guard. "Take her to the dungeon," he said. "After that, get one guard for each of them and show them the door." He turned to the remaining people in the cage. "None of you will speak of this day," he said to them. "If I hear word that you have, I will hunt down whoever talked and _personally_ kill them." He nodded to the guard, who started dragging Lexi out.

"No!" Maka screamed after her. "Lexi!" Lexi raised her head and looked at Maka one last time before the door was slammed between them and she was dragged away.

* * *

**Please review! I don't own Soul Eater.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Dad, we need to see something in your mirror," Kid said, storming into the Death Room with Soul on his heels. Lord Death, standing in front of his famous mirror, sighed.

"Kid, I already told you, what happened in Stein and Lexi's prac-"

"Not that," he said. "Lexi is missing, and so is Maka. We need to see what happened to them."

"Lexi and Maka are missing?" He asked quietly. The two boys nodded, and he seemed to be thinking for a moment. "Then yes. By all means, you can look. This is an emergency." He brought up an image of Lexi's room. It was like a video playback- they watched intently as a silhouette appeared in front of her window and cracked the lock silently. He pulled the window open and silently came inside. He turned her on her side and began tying her hands together. At that moment, she woke up and began screaming for Kid. He flinched.

"I wasn't there," he said as he watched. "She needed me and I wasn't there." He clenched his fists as the man knocked her out with chloroform and picked her up. He began carrying her out the window, but on the way out, her head slammed rather hard into the side of the window. The man seemed to wince and pulled her out of the room, running off into the night.

Needless to say, Kid was mad.

The scene shifted to show basically the same thing happening in Maka's room- but she didn't have time to scream. She was unconscious before she could. He had taken Lexi before Maka and had set Lexi down inside her room while he worked. Now that Maka was restricted and unconscious, he slung both girls easily over his shoulders and walked off into the night.

"This isn't good," Lord Death said. "Someone is up to something. I don't know why Maka was taken, but they want Lexi's powers for something. I recognize that man, but I can't put my finger on it..."

"I'm going to kill him," Kid said.

"Him and whoever's working for him," Soul put in. Kid nodded in agreement, and they both began walking out.

"Boys," Lord Death called after them. They stopped and turned, anger and worry burning brightly in both of their eyes. "You can't just go rushing head first into this. Try finding out more information first." Kid nodded silently and walked out, with Soul behind him. Once in the hallway, Soul walked next to Kid.

"So we rush head first into this?" He asked.

"Yup," Kid said with a nod as they walked down the hall.

* * *

"Each of you gets one guard," Titus said as he addressed the remainder of the group. "That guard will escort you home. Remember what I said about not speaking of this... _or else_." Titus nodded to the guards, and each of them ran to a newly-freed prisoner. The one who was assigned to Maka led her to a sleek black car. She hesitantly got in, and as soon as the guard was in as well, the doors locked and the car began moving.

"We aren't very far from the DWMA," the guard said. "We should be-"

"What's going to happen to Lexi?" Maka asked him. She hated him, she hated everything about this place and these people. But she had to know.

"I'm not at liberty to say," the guard replied. Maka groaned as the car rumbled along the dirt road- she was tired and scared, and all she wanted was to go home, but she wanted Lexi there with her.

"What does that lady-"

"Lady Scorpius," he corrected her.

"Whatever. What does she want with the Soul Master?" The man shook his head.

"She confides only in Titus," he said. "None of us know specifically what she wants with your friend, we just know it is important. We were told the basics to seek out people we thought might be the Soul Master. We then informed Titus, and he took care of the-" he stopped. "Why am I even telling you this?" He questioned himself.

"Feel free to continue, I won't interrupt," she said.

"No! You're the enemy!"

"No, I'm simply the victim."

"I'm not telling you any more!"

"But you've already told me so much, you might as well finish your explanation."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because you're the enemy."

"I'm not the enemy, I'm the victim. As the victim, you owe me an explanation."

"Would you shut up?" He yelled. "All I know is Lady Scorpius is having us build a machine- a big one. I don't know what it does, but she's going to use it on your friend. You might want to hurry if you're going to save her." He groaned. "I need to learn to shut my mouth."

Maka was silent as the car stopped moving. The door was opened, and she was forced out of the car. The door slammed shut, and the car drove away through the desert. She looked around- she was outside Death City, in the desert. She sighed and began walking, her eyes on her feet and her mind on Lexi.

* * *

Lexi sat in the damp, dark cell, curled up in a ball with her knees to her chest and her back against the wall. She didn't know what happened to Maka and the others. She could only hope Titus had kept his word and they were on their way home.

She was a terrible Soul Master.

She knew it. The last thing Stein said to her was completely and totally accurate. She should have been more focused. She should have trained harder, shouldn't have yelled at Stein. Maybe then, she would have been able to break them all out and she wouldn't be in this mess. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let the tears fall. She missed Kid, she wanted him here with her- but then again, she didn't. It was dangerous here , he might get hurt. She wanted comfort, she wanted a shoulder to lean on.

But she had been too selfish lately. Always complaining about everything, showing up late to practice... No. She couldn't give in to her own wants. She was alone in this cell, she had to be strong.

She had to be.

Her face buried in her arms, she waited. She counted the rhythmic drops of water from a pipe that echoed around the cavern. She listened to the rats scurry around in the walls. The prison was dark and quiet and she hated it. She hated being alone in here. She was afraid to try and rest, to gain back some of her strength, because what if someone came in while she was asleep? She had to keep her guard up at all times. That meant no sleep, no rest until she figured out exactly what was going on.

But she was so tired...

No. No sleep. She mentally argued with herself for a good five minutes before she heard a strange, metallic creaking. She looked up from her arms at the sound, and saw Titus walking in. She rolled her eyes and buried her face back in her arms as he walked up to her cell.

"You're lonely, aren't you, Soul Master?" He asked. She laughed sarcastically and looked up at him.

"Oh, no, not at all," she replied. "In fact, there's a party in here, but everyone turned invisible when you walked in. Keep it down, you guys!" She shouted to no one. Her voice echoed across the prison as they stared each other down.

"Well, say goodbye to your party," he said, bringing out a set of keys and unlocking the door.

"Why?" She asked skeptically, standing slowly and wobbling on her feet.

"Lady Scorpius would like a word with you."

* * *

**I don't own Soul Eater. Thanks to all the reviews, favorites, and follows! Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Lexi was led in chains to Lady Scorpius. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous- she felt like she was going to throw up from fear. Titus walked right behind her, his hand on his sword, ready to draw it lest she make some feeble attempt at escape. Two guards walked on each side of her, and one led the way in front. They were all dressed completely in black, with a strange-looking S tattooed on the back of each of their hands. Lexi figured it stood for Scorpius. The seven of them walked silently through the hallways. The only sound that was made was the thumping of their shoes against the floor- thank Death Lexi hadn't taken off her boots at Gallows Manor- and the clanking of Titus's sword. As time passed, the place seemed less like a castle and more like a deadly maze to Lexi.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity to Lexi, they finally reached a massive set of double doors. Two guards grabbed her arms, holding her in place, as Titus stepped up to the door. "Wait with her here," he ordered the guards. He pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

Walking forward, Titus strode confidently to Scorpius's throne. He bowed in respect.

"Lady Scorpius," he said, "the Soul Master has been brought to you at your request." The woman was concealed by shadows, and when she spoke, her voice was quiet yet confident.

"Good," she said. "Bring her in." Titus bowed. "Yes, my lady." He backed out of the room and walked to Lexi.

"Show respect to her," he mumbled as he himself held her from behind, his hands on her shoulders. "If you speak out of turn, I will _assure_ the proper punishment is delivered." His grip was strong- too strong to be normal. Lexi was sure she would have finger-shaped bruises on her shoulders later. He shoved her forward, and she took a deep breath. Two guards pushed the doors open, and Titus pushed her inside.

"Welcome, Soul Master," the woman said. A chill ran down Lexi's spine, like that old myth of someone standing on your grave. It was the woman from her dream. Her voice was exactly the same as she remembered, and it scared her. Her fear only got worse when Scorpius stood and walked into the light.

The first thing Lexi noticed about her features was her eyes. They were red- but not like Soul's. Soul's eyes were a warm, crimson red- these were a cold, intimidating blood red. She wore a deep red dress that matched her eyes. The cut of the dress was low. Gold accents lined with black made the dress seem to shine in the dim light. She wore black, lacy gloves that covered her arms from her fingertips to her elbows. Her shoes- if she was wearing any- were covered by her dress. Her hair was as black as midnight, and her skin was a pale white. Her lips were painted a bright, blood red that matched her eyes. Just the way she stood, with her shoulders back and her head held high commanded respect. The way her eyes bored into Lexi's made Lexi's knees feel weak. The butterflies in her stomach felt more like gigantic, angry birds. She felt inferior standing in the same room as the woman.

Lexi knew what she must have looked like- weak, tired, frail, and scared. That's pretty much exactly how she felt. But Scorpius didn't look at her that way. She looked at Lexi like she respected her.

Almost like they were equals.

Lexi did her best to look more intimidating. She held her head high, chin out and shoulders back. But it wasn't easy with her hands chained behind her and a sword pointed at her back. All she accomplished was looking a little bit less pathetic. She remembered Titus's threat and waited for Scorpius to speak.

"To be honest," the witch said, "I expected the great Soul Master to be a bit... older." Lexi resisted the urge to fire back a quick insult, and Scorpius continued.

"My name is Scorpius," she said, talking a step forward. "You may call me Lady Scorpius."

_'There are a lot of things I'd like to call you, and none of them are PG-13,_' Lexi thought to herself. Scorpius took another step down until she was about ten feet away from Lexi.

"I'm willing to bet you're wondering why you're here, aren't you?" she asked in that terrifying voice of hers. Lexi didn't move, didn't speak. She didn't want a punishment from Titus, she'd had enough punishments in the past few days. But she didn't stay silent for long. The tip of Titus's sword poked into her lower back. "Lady Scorpius asked you a question," he growled. "Answer it."

"Now, now, Titus," Scorpius said. "She doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to. Can't you see she's frightened?" She walked right up to Lexi and cupped her chin in her well-manicured hand. Lexi, disgusted by the close contact, jerked her chin up and away from Scorpius. The witch just chuckled.

"You're feisty," she said. "A natural quality for one as powerful as you, but I'll break you of that soon enough. Now, to business. I have an offer for you."

Lexi didn't move, but her eyes showed she was listening. Scorpius turned and began walking away, but spoke as she did.

"Join me," she said. Lexi's stomach dropped into her feet. "You have unimaginable power that I can help you master- without _any_ pain." Lexi eyed her. What was her _real_ angle? Scorpius chuckled.

"You don't have to decide now," she said. "But so you know, if you take my deal, the professors at the DWMA will no longer push you. You will not be considered insignificant among the legacy of the Soul Masters, but the best, the most powerful one in history." She smiled evilly. "Think about it. You have until tomorrow to decide." Lexi watched her feet as Titus dragged her out of the room.

She stumbled along in front of him, terrified out of her mind. How could she join Scorpius and betray the DWMA and her friends? They had become her family, the ones she leaned on when she needed support.

But still... No more Professor Stein pushing her beyond her limits? Power without consequence? That sounded pretty good. Besides, if Stein hasn't worked her so hard, she might have been able to fight back against Titus when he initially kidnapped her. Then she wouldn't be in this mess. Even at that moment, her body ached with every movement, and Titus's grip and the way he half-dragged her down the hallway didn't help. Maybe... Maybe joining Scorpius wasn't a bad idea... She cried out in pain as Titus threw her roughly on the concrete floor back in her cell.

"You have twenty-four hours to make your decision," he said as he locked the door. "Choose wisely." He smirked and left the dungeon, leaving Lexi to listen once more to that rhythmic drip of water. Maybe it would flood the dungeons and she would drown before tomorrow came.

But that wasn't very likely.

* * *

Maka had been walking for about two hours through the desert, and sighed with relief as her foot hit the first cobblestone that made up the streets of Death City. She was weak, but uninjured. And she was without Lexi. Death, Kid was going to _kill_ her. As she trekked through the silent streets, she kept reliving everything in her head. She heard the clock chime- it was noon. Everyone would be in school, so going there was her best bet of finding Soul. As she passed her and Soul's house, she saw Titus going at the old man with his sword. She passed Gallows Manor, and Lexi stepped forward, turned herself in as the true Soul Master, and Released the guard's soul. Her foot hit the first step of the long staircase leading up to the Academy, and Lexi slumped to her knees, then got dragged back to her feet by the guard. And as she reached the top of the stairs, Lexi raised her head and looked at Maka for the last time. The look in her eyes was something Maka would never forget- it was pure fear and desperation, but neither girl could have done anything except hold that gaze while Lexi was dragged away. Maka fell to her knees, holding her head in her hands. How could she have let something like this happen? Tears sprang into her eyes, and suddenly, she felt arms around her. Looking up, Soul was hugging her tightly.

"Are you okay?" He asked, pulling away and looking at her. His hands held her shoulders gently, and he was kneeling in front of her. She heard footsteps and looked behind him at the school.

Kid was the first one out, followed quickly by the rest of their class. He ran over to them.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She nodded quickly, trying to keep the tears down. She watched as Kid looked around, then back at her.

"Maka..." He said quietly. "Where's Lexi?"

She shook her head and looked back down, putting her face in her hands as the tears fell. Soul pulled her close to him, stroking her hair gently. "You're okay," he whispered. "You're safe now."

"But _she_ isn't," Maka whispered back.

Kid stood at the top of the stairs. His fists were clenched tightly as he stared at the desert, tears in his eyes.

Lexi was out there somewhere. And he was going to find her.

* * *

**Did you know, according to the manga version of Soul Eater, the DWMA is in the Mojave Desert in Nevada? Neither did I. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I love you all!**

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

"About ten minutes by car, I think," Maka said. "It's just a rough estimate, I was having a conversation with a guard the whole time, but I'm pretty sure it's around ten." Kid nodded and wrote what she had said down.

Maka, Soul, Kid, Stein, and Lord Death were all sitting around a table in the Death Room. Untouched cups of tea sat in front of each of them. Maka, despite Titus's warning, had immediately agreed to tell them everything. She figured an academy full of meisters and weapons, a few Death Scythes, the Lord of Death, and Lexi's nearly-hysterical boyfriend would be enough to fight off whatever forces Scorpius sent after her for telling.

"Lord Death," Soul addressed Kid's father. "Have you heard of Titus?"

Death nodded. "I have," he said, "but for some reason, I can't put my finger on who he is."

"What about Scorpius?" Maka asked. "Titus called her Lady Scorpius once, so it sounds like she might be-"

"A witch," he finished her sentence for her with a grave tone. "And a powerful one at that. Yes, I know who Scorpius is." He stood and walked to his mirror.

"Scorpius is the third and lesser known of the three witch sisters- Arachne, Medusa, and Scorpius. However, out of the three of them, she is the most powerful and influential over the _individual_. People say even her sisters are intimidated by her. The way she speaks has magic in it, and she has ways of convincing people to do what she wants. Most often, she lies about the benefits of doing what she wants. If they manage to defy her... She hurts them. Most people don't make it out of Scorpius's lair alive."

* * *

Lexi sat, huddled in the corner of her cell. Her face was buried in her arms again, and her eyes were closed. She had decided she was going to need her strength if she wanted to get out of here, and she needed rest.

Only one problem: it's not exactly easy to sleep huddled in the corner of a damp, freezing cold prison cell with a decision you have to make in less than a day that will decide your fate- and probably the fates of the only people you love- looming over your head.

But hey, no pressure, right?

Lexi sighed and began weighing her options for the hundredth time. She could choose to stay and join forces with Scorpius, or deny the partnership and face whatever consequences came along with that. Partnering up with Scorpius meant power without pain. That was a _definite_ plus. It also meant she wouldn't be insignificant... She stopped and thought about that one for a while. Stein told her she and all of the preceding Soul Masters were born basically to pick up where Lord Death leaves off. He, as the Lord of Death, takes lives when it is time for them to end. As Soul Master, it's Lexi's job to Release the souls he leaves after the body and mind of the person are gone. Lexi's job was final, and important. But it didn't seem that way. All she did was send souls on to wherever they go after the mind and body are gone. She wanted more than anything in the world to be known as not just another Soul Master, but something more. And Scorpius was offering exactly that.

But what if she refused? What would the consequences be? She knew for a fact she wasn't going to be let go. If she was, they wouldn't have locked her in a prison. The only way she was going to get out of this place was a well-schemed jailbreak. If she agreed to the bargain...

No. She couldn't. There was no way she could betray her friends, or Kid, or the DWMA. Those people were her family, she couldn't just trade that for power. She didn't care what she had to do, she wasn't going to give up what she had for more power. That was selfish, and she was done being selfish.

She was not going to let herself be a terrible Soul Master any longer.

* * *

"We have to go in and get her, then," Kid said. "There's no other option. If that Titus guy was able to kidnap over a dozen people without anyone knowing until the morning, we've got a problem." He sighed.

"Lexi should have been able to fight him off," Stein said. "She was awake in time, she could have gotten out and ran away."

"Professor Stein," Maka said, "he already had her hands tied by the time she woke up. She couldn't have-"

"She should have been able to," he cut her off. "She has to learn to be stronger-"

"_SHUT UP_!" Kid suddenly slammed his fist on the table and shot to his feet, glaring daggers at Stein. "Don't you understand this is _your_ fault?"

"Kid-" his father began, but Kid kept going.

"If _you_ hadn't pushed her so hard, she would have been at her strongest and would have been able to fight him off!" He yelled. He had completely lost his patience with Stein. "Then she wouldn't be in this mess! This is _your_ fault!"

Stein sighed. "Lexi has been kidnapped by a witch. There's no telling how much time she has left. We have to act fast- we can place blame later. I'll lead the charge to Scorpius's-"

"No," Kid interrupted again. "You're not going anywhere _near_ Lexi, I won't let it happen. Not until she's safe back home and healthy again. I'm leading the charge. We'll gather the strongest weapons and meisters from the Academy and charge the place. They won't know what hit them."

"Kid, stop," Lord Death said. "That's not a good plan. Scorpius will be expecting a large invasion force. We need a small group of elite members to get in, get Lexi, and get out." He turned to Maka. "Are you alright with going back? You're one of the best meisters at the Academy." Maka nodded.

"I wonder what she wants with Lexi," Soul thought out loud.

"Power," Stein responded. "That's all they ever want. We have to hurry... Lexi could be dead by morning."

* * *

"Time's up," Titus said as he unlocked the door to Lexi's cell. She looked up at him and got to her feet shakily. They hadn't given her anything to eat or drink, and she felt dizzy. Pulling her out of the cell, he cuffed her hands behind her back and began leading her to Scorpius. She was more confident than before- she had already made her decision, back in that tiny little cell. She strode through the halls like she owned the place, momentarily forgetting about the fact that she was still weak and shouldn't have been able to walk without stumbling. They reached the throne room, and Titus led her inside, but as they stood in front of Scorpius, his grip on her shoulders didn't loosen. Scorpius was seated on her throne.

"Hello again, Alexis," she said softly. Lexi winced, then glared at the witch.

"Don't call me Alexis," she practically growled. "My name is Lexi." Scorpius nodded.

"My apologies, _Lexi_," she said. Her words had a wicked edge, like the blade of a knife. "Have you made your decision?" Lexi nodded, and Scorpius stepped forward. "And that is?" Lexi took a deep breath.

"I'm turning down your offer," she said bravely. "I will _not_ join you."

Titus's grip on her shoulders tightened immediately, his fingernails digging into her skin and drawing blood. She knew this would happen- he now saw her as an enemy, one to kill without a thought. But his loyalty to Scorpius was too great- he would never do anything without her telling him to first. So he satisfied himself with inflicting pain on her with his bare hands.

Scorpius's eyebrows rose. "You won't? That's too bad," she said. Her voice took on a sad tone that made Lexi feel absolutely awful for saying no. But she knew it was the right decision.

"But maybe I can... _convince_ you to reconsider," she said thoughtfully. "Titus!" She addressed the man. "Is the machine ready yet?"

"What machine?" Lexi asked nervously. She had a bad feeling about this...

"We have about a day's work left to complete it, my lady," he replied. Scorpius pouted. "Oh, well," she said. "I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow. Take her back." Titus nodded, but didn't move as Scorpius walked up to Lexi. Bending over, her face was right in front of Lexi's, and the sixteen-year-old resisted the urge to spit in her eye.

"You _will_ join me," she said. Her voice took on that sticky-sweet quality that scared Lexi more than anything. Like poisoned wine. "Whether you want to or not." She nodded to Titus, and he dragged her out of the room and back to the dungeon. He threw her in her cell, more roughly than the last time, and slammed the door shut. She fell on her knees, scraping up her hands on the floor. Titus sneered at her.

"Wrong choice."

* * *

**We're all going to pretend Shaula Gorgon doesn't exist. Because I haven't finished watching the entire anime yet, and I did not know about her. And I've had the whole Scorpius is sisters with Arachne and Medusa planned out in my head since chapter two. So we're basically replacing Shaula with Scorpius.**

**Deal with it.**

**Thanks to the reviews, follows, and favorites! I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Get up."

Lexi groaned and opened her eyes slowly. Titus stood over her, arms crossed in front of him and sword at his belt. She closed her eyes again- she didn't want to face whatever he and Scorpius had in store for her as punishment for denying partnership.

"I said get up," he repeated, getting angry. She didn't move. Even just lying here on the floor of her cell, she felt weak. She hadn't had anything to eat in three days, except for that one stick of celery back home.

Death, she missed home. She missed her friends, she missed school, and most of all, she missed Kid. She would take extra practice with Stein every day for six hours straight if she could just be back there.

Titus took a small step backwards. "Lady Scorpius has instructed me to bring you to her... Using whatever means necessary." He brought his foot back and, before she could move, kicked her full-force in the stomach. She gasped, her eyes wide, and curled up into a tight ball, trying to subdue the pain to one part of her body. Her ears rang slightly, and he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up. She winced- she had been right about his hands bruising her shoulders. It hurt to move her arms, even a little. He pulled her out of her cell and into the hallway. She wondered why he didn't chain her up this time. She stumbled along the hallway, barely able to stay on her feet.

They reached Scorpius's throne room. He just entered- he didn't bother knocking or bowing to her at all. He dragged Lexi so she was in front of the witch. She was too weak to resist. Scorpius stood in front of her.

"Have you reconsidered my offer, Soul Master?" She asked in that voice Lexi hated more than anything. She slowly raised her head to look at the witch.

"No," she replied. Her voice was a bit hoarse. "I haven't. My decision stands as it is." Scorpius turned to her.

"That really is unfortunate," she said. She raised her hand and suddenly slapped Lexi across the face. Her head flew sideways, an angry red mark already starting to form on her cheek. Scorpius walked over and bent down so her face was right in front of Lexi's.

"How about you fight?" She asked. "If you win, you can leave. No catches, no loopholes, nothing."

"And if you win?" Lexi asked through gritted teeth. Scorpius laughed.

"Oh, no, my dear," she said, "it's not me you'll be fighting." Titus released Lexi, and she fell to her knees and glared up at Scorpius, who pointed to Titus. She looked at the warrior, and her heart skipped more than one beat. He was drawing his sword.

"You'll be fighting Titus," Scorpius went on to say. "I want to see the powers of the Soul Master in action. Now get up and _fight_."

Lexi took a deep breath and slowly got to her feet. Scorpius walked to and sat on her throne. Titus held his weapon at the ready, and Lexi raised her hands, ready for the fight.

"Go!" Scorpius called.

Titus made the first move. He ran at her and swung the sword. She ducked, and it swung harmlessly over her head. He lashed the blade down at her, and she rolled out of the way a second before it hit the ground, causing sparks to fly around it. She got to her feet again, and Titus ran at her, brandishing the sword above his head. He leapt into the air and swung the sword down again, and Lexi somersaulted underneath him. She rolled to her feet behind him and turned. Titus landed on his feet on the ground, growling. _Now_ he was mad. He swung the sword repeatedly, taking steps toward Lexi as he did and forcing her back. She took steps to dodge, but her back hit a wall. She was cornered. He smirked and raised the sword above his head. He brought it down on Lexi, and it made contact with her arm.

Sparks flew as blade met blade, an a look of pure shock crossed Titus's face. Scorpius sat up in her seat- things had just gotten a _lot_ more interesting.

Lexi had turned her right arm into a blade.

She began swinging her arm madly at Titus, forcing him back the same way he had forced her. He blocked most of her shots, but one found its way to its mark and cut his right shoulder. He gritted his teeth- it was a deep cut, not an easy fix. But he kept fighting.

When Lexi had a weapon, she was a better fighter than Titus. However, she was weak. Using her own body as a weapon and a meister at the same time was taking her energy faster, like it always did. She hadn't eaten anything in days, so her body was weaker already, but she was still as good of a fighter as Titus. When she had succeeded in giving him a few relatively deep cuts, he decided to call in backup.

Four guards ran in. Two transformed into weapons- an ax and a war hammer. The other two guards held their weapons tightly and ran into the fight. Lexi saw them and turned. Her left arm turned into a long chain and wrapped around the guard with the ax. Titus sprang to his feet and ran at Lexi, wielding his sword. She changed her other arm to a chain and wrapped it around him, rendering him immobile. She had forgotten about the third guard.

Big mistake.

The guard ran up behind her, his war hammer raised high above his head. With a loud cry, Lexi turned just in time to have the hammer smashed into the side of her head.

Her vision blurred. Pain spread rapidly throughout her head, and her chains changed back to arms. She dropped to her knees, hands on the ground in front of her, steadying her from falling face-first on the ground. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the pain. Her thoughts were jumbled in her head. One moment, she was on the ground. The next, she was on her feet, being held between two guards. Another moment, and her hands were cuffed behind her back. She didn't notice the blood running down the side of her face. Black spots danced wildly in her eyes, and her face felt hot. Her hearing was muffled. She began to feel lightheaded, and blacked out just as Scorpius walked up to her.

"Incredible," the witch whispered. She lifted the unconscious girl's face to the light and gently wiped away some of the blood near her eye. A large bump stood on her head, surrounding a smaller gash in the middle of the lump, where the blood originated. Scorpius looked at Titus.

"Is it ready yet?" She asked. Titus nodded.

"It is finished, my lady," he replied respectfully. Scorpius nodded.

"Bring it in here and set it up," she said. "I want to be able to watch." He nodded.

"Consider it done." He turned to the guards. "Let's go," he ordered them. They suspended Lexi between them and began dragging her out of the throne room. Titus walked behind them, sword pointed at her back in case she woke up. At the dungeons, they threw her roughly back in her cell. She didn't move, and Titus smirked.

"Some Soul Master," he said as he slammed and locked the door. He turned to the guards.

"She is dangerous," he said to them. "I want two guards down here, stationed at her cell at all times. Escape attempts shall be met with punishment swiftly and severely. No mercy." The guards nodded and took the first shift, standing on either side of her cell. Lexi didn't move.

Titus walked to the mechanics shop inside the castle. As he opened the door, every worker stopped and bowed respectfully, then resumed work. He went to the engineer, who saluted him formally.

"Sir Titus," he said stiffly. Titus nodded at him, and his hand dropped back to his side.

"Lady Scorpius wants it in her throne room, so she can watch," Titus said. The man nodded. "We can move it in there in under an hour," he replied. Titus nodded in approval.

"Good. See to it." The man nodded, and Titus walked out.

* * *

Lexi groaned and opened her eyes. Her head was killing her. Damn war hammer. She slowly sat up, leaning her back against the smooth glass wall.

Wait. The wall of her cell was concrete, not glass.

She looked around her. She was in a large glass tank of some sort, with a tiled floor and... was that a drain at the bottom? The top of the tank was sealed, but there were various holes in the glass around her, so she had air. In the top of the tank, there were... little holes. Hundreds of them. That, plus the drain... What was this?

"Good morning," a voice said. Lexi's insides boiled with anger at that voice.

Like poisoned wine.

Lexi's head, which was leaning against the glass, turned slowly to look at her. She sat calmly in her throne, like a large glass tank that hadn't been there before was completely normal. She painfully got to her feet, and Titus walked in the large doors. She glared daggers at him, but he only smirked. Scorpius stood.

"Since you've refused my offer," she said, "you must be punished. _No one_ defies me. And if I can't have you join me..." She smiled evilly. "I'll have to kill you. Slowly and painfully."

Lexi glared at the witch. "What are you going to do?" She asked sarcastically. "Give me a shower until I'm so clean I die?" Scorpius smirked. "Something like that. Titus, now." Titus nodded and walked over to the machine. He grabbed a small remote off the side of it and pressed a blue button.

Water began falling, exactly like a shower, all over the tank. What didn't hit Lexi was drained through the bottom. Once Lexi was thoroughly soaked, she glared at Scorpius.

"Kay, now I'm cold and wet," she said, holding out her arms. "How is this going to kill me?"

Scorpius nodded at Titus, who turned his attention to the remote in his hand. He turned a small dial to the first number, then pressed a red button.

Lexi gasped. An electric current ran through her body, more painful than it should have been for her. She panted and leaned against the side of the tank, waiting for the pain to subside. When it finally did, she was panting. "What... what was that?" She asked breathlessly.

"An electric shock," Scorpius replied. "It was only the first level out of ten, though. The electricity's effect is amplified through the water, you see. Level five is deadly to a normal human." Lexi glared up at her.

So _this_ was how she was going to die.

* * *

**Lexi's a fish! Glub-glub-glub! Just kidding. She's in real trouble now. I don't own Soul Eater. Please R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

Two days later, the rescue team was finally ready. The small group stood in the Death Room. They were prepared to break Lexi out of Scorpius's castle. Each meister held their weapons at the ready- Maka gripped Soul with slightly shaking hands, the same with Kid, Patty, and Liz. However, Maka was shaking out of fear, while Kid was shaking out of anger. He hated every second they were waiting, because every moment spent here instead of out there was another moment Lexi could be killed. And he couldn't handle that. Black Star held Tsubaki in chain scythe form, and Stein wielded Spirit. Lord Death faced the group.

"What you're about to do is dangerous," he said. "Anyone who managed to capture both Lexi _and_ Maka, two of the DWMA's top meisters, has to be powerful. All of you need to be careful. Don't make any rash decisions, they could get you killed. Stay quiet and stay low. _Protect each other_. Bring Lexi home." The group nodded and walked single-file out the door, everyone silent. They walked this way all the way to the edge of Death City. Once out of the city and on the sands of the desert, they stopped.

"Alright, Maka," Stein said. "You've been there before, you take the lead."

Maka sighed and nodded, then stepped in front of the group. Kid fell in line behind her. Black Star walked behind him, and Stein took up the rear. They walked silently again through the desert, everyone thinking of Lexi. Even Black Star was worried about her. _No one_ hurt his friends.

No one.

* * *

Two days later, Lexi knew she was going to die. She had been in this damn castle for five days, and in this tank for two. She was currently kneeling on the floor of the tank, head down and eyes squeezed shut. She felt weaker than she ever had before- she could see her own ribs. She had had nothing at all to eat in five days. She hardly slept at all anymore, and when she managed to fall asleep, even for a second, she was woken again by the water.

They had brought her up to the fourth level of electrocution. She was in so much pain. She could hardly move anymore. She was almost certain she had a concussion from the blow the war hammer had given her. She had gotten in another fight with Titus, but this time, he had won hands-down. She couldn't move her right arm, and it was bent at a funny angle. She had multiple cuts all over her body.

Basically, she wasn't doing well.

She heard footsteps, and her hands clenched into fists. It wasn't the_ thunk-thunk-thunk_ of Titus's heavy boots, but the evil clicking of Scorpius's heels on the marble floors of the throne room. Lexi didn't look up as they got closer, until they stopped right next to her little prison.

"Good morning, Soul Master," Scorpius said. "How are you feeling today?"

No answer.

"Oh, quiet today, are we?" She asked sarcastically. "That's quite alright. As annoying as you are when you're talking, though, I prefer to hear your screams."

The water began to fall.

"Let's try Level Five today, shall we?" Scorpius asked, pulling out that remote again. She turned the dial up one notch so it pointed to the number five. Lexi remembered that number- it was the one that was deadly to normal people. Her hands shook as the water dropped onto her head, soaking her hair and clothes and running off her face. She didn't move an inch. She was used to this by now- the water falling, the moment of silence, and then the pain. Scorpius loved watching her scream. Lexi figured it brought her joy- in a sick, twisted way. The first two levels were okay. She didn't scream, only whimpered a little. It still hurt, but she didn't want to give Scorpius the satisfaction of watching her pain.

From the third level on, it _hurt_. She had to do _something_ or she would explode. She had tried biting her lip and digging her nails into her hands. Now her lip was split and she had cuts in her hands from her own nails. She ended up screaming, and Scorpius just laughed.

The water kept falling.

* * *

"This is it," Maka whispered. "This is Scorpius's castle."

They were crouched behind a bush in a thick forest. The castle lay about 500 feet away from them. Kid's fists were clenched tightly around his guns. His hands shook slightly, and he glared at the castle. Lexi was in there somewhere. He didn't know what they were doing to her, but if they hurt her...

They were going to pay.

Stein stood, as did the others. Silently, they walked to the front door of the castle.

"We should be cautious," Stein whispered. "We can't just-"

"YAHOO!" The doors swung on their hinges as Black Star and Kid both ran inside. Stein groaned.

"...Burst in." He and Maka ran after the two through the halls, trying to get them to stop. Stein understood why they were running- Kid felt like he had to reach Lexi at that moment. But Black Star... He was just an idiot with no restraint. They kept running.

* * *

Both Scorpius and Lexi heard a shout. They both looked up, Lexi blinking through the water running down her face.

That voice... Lexi recognized it. None of Scorpius's guards would be that loud and obnoxious-

Black Star.

She took a sharp breath in. They were here to rescue her! She immediately began kicking at the glass as hard as her injured body could manage. She _had_ to get out. She _had_ to get to him. Scorpius looked at her.

"Oh, so you know that voice?" She asked. "Someone's here to rescue you, aren't they?" She laughed sadistically. "Well, let's just show them how late they are." She pressed the red button.

Lexi's screams echoed through the halls of the castle. Kid froze in his tracks, then burst into a sprint, following the sounds of her screams and running straight towards Scorpius's throne room. The others followed his lead, weapons ready for a fight. He reached the doors and pushed with all his might to open them, her screams the only thing he could hear. His friends landed at the door and pushed, and it finally gave and opened into the throne room.

Just in time for Kid to see Lexi fall to the floor of the tank, curled up in a ball and twitching occasionally.

"Lexi!" Kid screamed. He started to run to the tank holding her, but was stopped by the butt of a sword hitting him in the shoulder. He stumbled to the side. Titus stood above him, holding his sword at the ready. He began swinging it madly at Kid, who dodged every hit but ended up falling on the ground when he tripped over a wire. Lexi had opened her eyes when he screamed her name.

"Kid..." She whispered. She slowly sat up, wincing as she watched Titus go after him. She had to do something, she couldn't let him die. Her heart began pounding, and she gasped when he fell backwards.

"No!" She yelled hoarsely. She couldn't let him die, she _couldn't_. Titus raised his sword, and Lexi suddenly felt a surge of power. Her hands shook, and suddenly, her eyes glowed silver.

"SOUL SHIELD!" She shouted. A silver ball of light formed around Kid, and sparks flew as Titus's blade smashed into it. He growled and kept hitting the shield, but his sword couldn't penetrate it. Kid stared up at Titus, and Stein ran up and hit him with Spirit in weapon form in the back of the head. He dropped his sword and stumbled back, and Stein grabbed him and began hitting him. The shield around Kid dissolved, and Lexi fell back to the floor of the tank. He scrambled up and ran to her, kneeling on the ground next to the glass walls. He tried breaking the glass, but couldn't. She looked up at him.

"Lexi?" He said softly. "Are you okay?" She started nodding, but winced and shook her head. His fists clenched. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises, and there was a large wound on her head. Her arm was broken, and he could see her ribs through her shirt. What had they done to her?

And why was her hair wet?

"Okay, Lexi, listen to me," he said gently. "I'm going to get you out of there, alright?" She nodded slowly. Her eyes searched his. She was scared, and when he got up to go back to the fight, she put her hand on the glass. "Please..." She whispered weakly. "Don't go." He stared at her, then knelt back down and put his hand over hers. The glass was the only thing keeping their fingers from touching.

"I'll never leave you," he said softly back.

Maka ran at Scorpius full-speed, swinging Soul at the witch's head. She dodged the hit and sent Maka flying across the room with a simple wave of her hand. She hit the wall, and the stone cracked where she landed. She wasn't hurt, though, and leapt off the wall with amazing dexterity. She held Soul and kept going back, trying to kill Scorpius. The witch easily held her off.

Stein was still fighting Titus. The two men were evenly matched in size and strength, but Stein was a meister, and Titus wasn't. He shot his soul wavelength at Titus over and over again until the warrior was out of breath and holding the stitch in his side. Stein easily knocked the sword out of his hand, and it clattered across the floor. He backed Titus into a corner, then with one hit to the head, knocked Titus out. Stein smirked.

"Pathetic."

Black Star was still outside the doors of the throne room. There were at least ten guards trying to get into the throne room, but he kept them from getting through the door. Not a single one got through.

Seeing her top warrior knocked out, Scorpius pushed Maka away from her. "Enough of this," she said. She pulled out the remote again. "It's time to see what this thing can _really_ do." She cranked the dial all the way up to level ten and pressed the blue button.

The water began to fall. Lexi looked up, blinking rapidly against the shower. "Not again..." She whispered. Kid looked at her. "What's going on?" He asked her. She looked at him, eyes wide with fear.

"Level ten," she said. "That's the highest it goes. Kid, level _five_ kills normal people. You have to help me... Please..."

"I will," he said. "What does it-"

The water stopped. Lexi's eyes went wide, and she looked at Kid in fear.

Suddenly, lightning shot through the glass tank. Lexi's back arched, and she screamed a bloodcurdling scream. As Kid watched in horror, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed to the floor. He wasn't sure if she was unconscious or dead. He banged on the glass as hard as he could, desperate to get to her. However, the electricity broke it for him, and the walls shattered into a million tiny pieces. He ran forward and knelt by her. Her body was battered and broken, and she occasionally twitched, leftover sparks of electricity running through her body. He pulled her close to him. She was breathing, but barely. Her pulse was uneven. Clearing her wet hair away from her face, he pulled her limp body onto his lap.

"Lexi, please," he whispered, grasping her hand. "Don't do this... Don't die on me..."

"Kid!" Stein yelled from across the room. "Let's go!" Kid nodded and picked Lexi up. Liz changed back to human form and armed herself with Patty in gun form. They covered Kid as he ran out, his dying girlfriend in his arms.

* * *

Kid sat by Lexi's side as she lay on the bed in the infirmary. She had been unconscious for two days. After much arguing, Kid had finally agreed to let Stein help the nurse work on her wounds, since he _was_ a doctor, after all. The worst of her injuries was the blow she had taken to her head with the war hammer. It had dented her skull a bit, and there was no telling how it would affect her until she woke up. The bone in her arm had been snapped in half. There was a wound on her leg from Titus's sword that went all the way down to her bone. Her nerves were damaged from all of the electricity her body had sustained. Two of her ribs were broken. She had countless cuts and bruises all over her body. The heart rate monitor she was hooked up to showed the unsteady beating of her heart. They had hooked her up to an IV line.

Basically, she wasn't doing well.

Kid sighed and took her hand in his. Her necklace rested around her neck. He got all warm inside whenever he saw her wearing it- so, he got all warm inside whenever he saw her, because she never took it off. It was incredible the small piece of jewelry had survived everything Lexi had been through in the past week. Heck, it was incredible _Lexi_ had survived everything she had been through.

But the odds weren't looking good now.

* * *

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Kid sighed as he walked back to Gallows Manor, hands deep in his pockets. A cold wind blew through, but he didn't feel it. On a night like tonight, he would have been walking back with Lexi. They would sometimes go out for dinner in the city, just the two of them. She would walk close to him, and he would wrap his arm around her shoulders. On especially chilly nights, he would often take off his jacket and wrap it around her to keep her warm. She always rejected it, though, and gave it back to him, saying she'd rather herself freeze than him.

Always the brave one.

He sighed deeply. He had wanted to stay the night in the infirmary with her, but the nurse wouldn't let him. She insisted on him going home and getting rest. He had fought her for an hour over it, but eventually gave in and went home. As he walked in the front door of Gallows Manor, he sighed. Without Lexi there, this place just... didn't feel like home. He wondered why as he walked through the hall up to his room. He had to pass Lexi's room to get to his own, and stopped right outside her door.

She should have been in there. She should have been sitting on her bed, doing homework. Or turning her hand into a knife blade and back again. Or lying in her bed, having a nightmare, so Kid could just walk in and comfort her until they both fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

Instead, _Scorpius_ had to ruin everything. Her, Titus, and Stein ruined _everything_.

They hadn't defeated Scorpius. She had let them go. They had only managed to knock out Titus, but _she_ had freed Lexi. Accidentally, of course, but still. The amount of electricity she had shot into Lexi was too much and entirely shattered the glass around her. Kid didn't know how things would have turned out if that hadn't happened.

Had Scorpius accidentally saved Lexi's life?

He sighed deeply and stepped away from her room, walking slowly to his own. He missed her so much, it ached. Liz and Patty missed her, too- ever since she had started living in Gallows Manor, the place was more energetic and lively.

He always found that ironic, being the son of Lord Death and all.

Now in his pajamas, he curled up under his blankets. What if she fell into another month-long coma? That had happened last time, after he killed Calix. But this time, her injuries were worse. And they were harder on her body, too, because Stein had pushed her so hard in their practices. But what if it was longer than a month this time? What if she died-

'_No_,' he stopped himself from thinking that. '_She isn't going to die. Lexi's tough, she'll wake up soon._

_She has to.'_

* * *

Lexi didn't know what time it was when her eyelids fluttered open. She saw a white ceiling. As she looked around, she wondered why she was in a hospital. Then, the pain hit her.

It came slowly at first, but then hit her as fast as a moving train. _Everything_ hurt. She could hardly move at all. Her head was the worst, though. And judging from the bandage wrapped around her head that she felt when she reached up to touch it, she had taken a pretty hard hit. Her left arm had a needle in it. If it was a painkiller, it _wasn't_ doing its job. Lexi had a feeling she wasn't so lucky.

She slowly sat up in the bed. Pain spread further throughout her body, but she did her best to ignore it. What had _happened_ to her? She felt like she had been hit by a bus. She looked around, confirming she was in a hospital of some sort. She wanted to get up and explore. She didn't know what hospital she was in. She tried getting out of bed, but the needle in her arm stopped her. She looked at it. Her hand went to the small needle connected to a bag above her head, and, grimacing, she ripped it out of her arm and tossed it aside. After a few seconds, she began to feel a bit dizzy, but ignored it as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and put her feet on the ground.

The moment she did, she realized it was a bad idea. Pain spread out from a thickly bandaged part of her lower leg, and she involuntarily cried out. She began to fall. Reaching out for something, _anything_ to stop her fall, her right arm landed on a small table next to the bed.

_That_ hurt more than her leg.

Her vision swam in front of her eyes. Faintly, she could hear footsteps running in her direction, but she ignored them. She knelt on the ground, trying to subdue the pain, but suddenly, her vision blurred. Her hearing muffled, and her hands shook. Her vision suddenly went black, and she collapsed to the floor.

Just as Kid ran in, with Stein right behind him.

He looked at her, unconscious on the ground, then at the IV line swinging from its bag.

"Dammit, Lexi," he muttered. He and Stein carefully picked her up and set her gently on the bed. Stein put the needle back in her arm, then sat on the other side of Lexi's bed.

"Well," he said, trying to lighten Kid's heavy heart, "at least she woke up."

If looks could kill, Stein would be as dead as Calix.

* * *

It was three days until she finally woke up for good. Stein was the one sitting next to her when she did- Kid and the others were in class. He told the school nurse to go pull Kid out of class to see her as Lexi tried to sit up. He pushed her back down, forcing her to relax. She looked at him.

"What _happened_?"

* * *

The nurse ran to the room Kid was in. Knocking hurriedly on the door, she opened it and entered. As soon as she did, both Kid and Maka stood in their seats.

"What happened?" Kid asked her. She looked between him and Maka.

"Lexi woke up," she said. "Professor Stein is with her-"

Kid didn't wait another moment. He bolted out of his seat and ran down the hall to the infirmary. But Stein was already leaving, closing the door quietly behind him. Kid ran up.

"What the hell?" He yelled at Stein. "I told you to stay away from her!" Stein just shook his head.

"Go see her," he said quietly. "She's got some... news for you." He walked off down the hall, and Kid faced the door. He turned the knob and pushed it open.

She was sitting up in bed, obviously having defied Stein. She wasn't as pale as she had been, but she still resembled a ghost. She was hugging a pillow close to her, her knees pulled up to her chest and one hand on her necklace. She looked up at him the moment he walked in , but before she said anything, he ran up and hugged her close. He almost started crying, and didn't realize she wasn't hugging him back.

"Death, I was so worried you'd go into another coma," he said , sitting next to her. "How do you feel?"

"Not good," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse. "I kind of feel like I'm going to be sick." He rubbed her back gently, soothing her.

"It's alright," he whispered. "I'm here now. There's nothing to be scared of." She looked up at him, and he froze. Why was she looking at him like that?

"What is it?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"...I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "But..."

"But what? Lexi, you're scaring me," he said. "What's wrong?" The look on her face was sad, and it dawned on him before she said it.

"I'm sorry, but... Who are you?"

* * *

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

Kid's eyes went wide. "...what?"

Lexi looked down. "I'm so sorry," she said sadly. "I didn't even know my own name until that guy with the screw in his head told me it was Lexi." She looked up at him. "You're Kid, right? He said someone was going to get you." He nodded slowly. This was _not_ happening, not after everything they had been through.

"You don't remember me?" He asked softly. Tears formed in his eyes when she shook her head.

"No, no, please don't cry," she said, putting her hand over his. "Please don't get all emotional. I don't think I can handle that." He nodded and swallowed his tears back, then he intertwined her fingers through his. She looked down at their hands.

"How do I know you?" She asked. "This necklace... It matches the thing you're wearing on your collar. Is that important?"

Death, this was killing him.

"We were dating," he said sadly. "I gave you that necklace last year, at Christmas... When I asked you to marry me."

Her eyes went wide. "I'm _engaged_?"

He laughed softly. "Kind of. It's more like a promise ring." She nodded slowly, then looked at him.

"I'm not pregnant, am I?"

He laughed genuinely at that. "No, Lexi, you're not pregnant." She sighed in relief. "Good." She looked up at him. He smiled at her, and she smiled weakly back.

"How long have I been in here?" She asked. Kid sighed. "You've been asleep for about five days," he replied. Her eyes widened.

"Five _days_?" She asked. She then pulled the blankets off and tried to get up. "I've got to get back-"

Putting his hand gently on her shoulder, he stopped her. "Calm down, Lexi," he said. "You need to rest. You're still hurt."

"Maybe," she responded, looking at him. "But the only way I'm going to get better is if I work for it."

"Lexi, you're not strong enough to-"

"I have to be."

He froze. That was _exactly_ what Lexi would say in a situation like this. She would try to get up and back into practice. She was too headstrong, too brave. But this was different. He gently pushed her back down on the bed.

"No," he said gently. "If you get up now, you'll just hurt yourself more. You need to stay and rest." He looked at the clock . "I should go back to class and tell them what happened-"

"No, wait," she said suddenly. "Please... Don't go." His mind flashed back to the tank in Scorpius's castle. Their hands pressed together through the glass. Lexi had looked so scared, but at least she had known who he was. "That guy with the screw through his head might come back. I don't like him." Kid sighed and sat back down, taking her hand.

"I'm going to fix this," he said sadly. "I'm going to get your memory back." She nodded and looked into his eyes. His golden eyes searched her hazel ones, and she suddenly leaned up and kissed him.

Her head spun. It was like she was having her first kiss, though if she was half-engaged, she must have already kissed this guy. She felt so bad, and he looked so upset... She wanted to reassure him. A smile broke out on her face when she felt him kiss her back- her theory had been correct.

"What was that for?" He asked when they pulled away. She shrugged. "You looked sad," she replied. "I don't like when people are sad." He smiled and kissed her forehead gently.

"I'm never sad when I'm with you," he said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She looked at him and smiled softly.

"So who else did I know?" She asked. He smiled.

"Well, there's Maka, she's pretty much your best friend," he said. "Soul is her weapon, he's the first one you met when you came to Death City last year. Liz and Patty are my weapons, they're your friends too. They live in Gallows Manor with us. Black Star and Tsubaki are partners, too. Do you want me to bring them to see you?" She nodded excitedly. "Might as well start getting back into the swing of things," she said. "Who knows how long my memories will be gone?"

* * *

"Kid!" Maka shouted as she pulled Soul down the street. "Kid, wait up!" They ran to catch up with the Reaper, who had been walking back to Gallows Manor. He looked at them.

"How is she?" Maka asked. "Is she alright?" Kid looked down. He felt sick to his stomach, and shook his head slowly.

"What happened?" Soul asked him.

"She's awake and healing properly," Kid explained, "but..." He sighed. "She lost her memory."

Maka stopped in her tracks. "She lost..."

Kid turned and looked at her. His eyes were filled with sadness as he nodded. "She didn't even know who I was. Professor Stein thinks it was a combination of the blow she took to the head and the amount of electricity that was shot into her."

"So..." Maka looked at her feet. "She doesn't remember any of us? You, me, Black Star... No one?" Kid shook his head.

"It's like we have to start all over."

* * *

The next day, all of Lexi's friends were gathered in front of the door to the infirmary. Only Kid had seen her- she wouldn't recognize any of them, except for him. He sighed, and Tsubaki put her hand gently on his shoulder.

"We'll figure it out," she said gently. "We'll get Lexi back." He looked at her and nodded, then put his hand on the doorknob. Turning the handle, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Lexi was sitting on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, hugging the pillow again. She was staring out the window, and hadn't noticed him come in. Everyone stayed put while Kid walked up and sat next to her.

"Hey," he said gently. She jumped a little, then turned to him. "Hi," she said with a smile. He kissed her gently. At least _that_ part of life was still normal. He took a deep breath.

"Lexi, I brought the rest of your friends here," he said. They wanted to see you." For the first time since she woke up, her face lit up. "Really?" He nodded. "Come on in, guys," he said. They all awkwardly shuffled in the door and stood around Lexi's bed. She watched them all.

"Guys, it's not like injuries or memory loss is contagious," she said with a smile. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Maka was the first to laugh. She had missed Lexi so much. Then Lexi began laughing. Soon, everyone else joined in. It was like the old days- all of them sitting around together, laughing over some joke. But this was different.

They hadn't been in a hospital before.

Finally, Lexi looked at all of them. "Black Star," she said, pointing to the blue-haired meister. "You're Black Star, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" He asked, shocked. She smiled. "You've got a star on your shoulder," she replied. She looked at Tsubaki. "You're his weapon partner? Um... Patty, right?" Tsubaki shook her head. "That's Patty," she said, pointing to the girl, who was standing next to Maka. "I'm Tsubaki." Lexi nodded.

"So she's Patty... You're Liz!" She said triumphantly, pointing to Maka. Maka shook her head. "I'm Maka," she said. Lexi nodded.

"And before you mistake me for Soul," Liz interjected, "I'm Liz." Lexi nodded. "Thanks," she said. "I probably would have messed that up, too." Kid rubbed her back gently, soothing her, and she smiled up at him.

"So are my parents here?" She asked. "Is it okay if I see them?"

Everyone got quiet. Black Star awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Lexi looked around at all of them.

"What?" She asked. Kid bit his lip and sighed.

"Lexi..." He started. "Um... your parents are... dead."

She froze and looked at him. "They're..." He nodded. "I'm sorry, Lexi." She nodded slowly, then looked at him.

"How did it happen?" She asked. He looked down.

"They were killed by a man named Calix," he said, "when you were eleven. Calix is dead now, though." He looked at her. "I'm so sorry, Lexi..."

She shook her head. "No, no, don't be," she said softly. "It's not like it was your fault." He sighed and kissed her temple.

* * *

About a week later, Lexi was allowed to walk around Death City for a few hours during the day. She went on walks every day with Kid. Sometimes Maka joined them, along with Soul. Most of the time, though, it was just Lexi and Kid.

She liked it that way. She felt so comfortable around him, like nothing could hurt her as long as he was there. She felt safe.

One day, Kid and all of Lexi's friends decided to try to jog her memory by showing her what their intent at the DWMA was. They led her out to the woods on a Saturday. Kid held her hand tightly in his.

"What's going on?" She kept asking. "Where are we going, Kid?"

"Just shush," he kept saying. "This might help you."

"How?"

Finally, they reached a clearing. Maka, Soul, Liz, Patty, Black Star, and Tsubaki all stood there, waiting for her. Kid turned to face her.

"You know how you've been asking what I meant about weapons and meisters?" He asked her. She nodded- the concept had been confusing her for a while. Maybe he was finally going to make light of it! Kid smiled. "This is what I meant."

Maka smiled. "Ready, Soul?" She asked. He nodded and, in a flash of light, transformed into a scythe. Lexi looked completely shocked.

"How...?"

"Tsubaki, Ninja Sword mode!" Black Star said. With a smile at Lexi, she transformed into a ninja sword. Levi's eyes widened. This... this couldn't be real! People couldn't just transform into weapons, that's not how it worked!

"Liz, Patty," Kid said, smiling at Lexi. The two girls nodded and transformed into guns. Lexi took a small step back- she looked afraid.

"I don't understand," she muttered. "How is this possible?"

"Some people are born as weapons," Maka said. Lexi shook her head.

"No..." She said. "This isn't real, it can't be right!"

"Lexi, calm down," Kid said. Liz and Patty transformed back and looked at her as Kid walked up and took her hands. "That's what we do as meisters. We use weapon partners to fight." Lexi shook her head.

"This is /crazy/," she said. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"No, Lexi, you're not-"

"Kid, people don't just transform into weapons!" She said. "It doesn't work like that! And all this stuff about souls, and the Lord of Death, it just... It sounds like stuff out of a fairy tale!" She started walking away, but Kid grabbed her arm.

"Lexi, calm down," he said softly, pulling her close to him. But as soon as he did, she pulled away and took a step away from him.

"Come back and talk to me when you decide to make sense!" She said, then stormed off. Kid watched her go sadly. He almost ran after her, but someone put their hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He looked to see Black Star.

"She's just stressed," Maka said softly. "As hard as this is on us, think about what it must be like for her." He sighed and nodded slowly.

How was he going to fix Lexi?

* * *

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

Kid knocked on the door to the infirmary. "Lexi?" He called softly as he opened the door. She was sitting on her bed again, her hand closed tightly around her necklace. Kid smiled at the sight. She didn't look at him.

"I'm sorry," her voice was soft and apologetic. "I didn't mean to yell or run off like that. It's just... everything is happening so fast. It's all so confusing, I don't know what to believe or how to believe it."

He walked over and sat next to her. Wrapping his arms gently around her shoulders, he pulled her close to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and curled up next to him, just like they did when she had a nightmare. He stroked her hair softly, and she seemed to calm down a bit.

"It's okay," he said quietly. "We all understand what's-"

"No," she said suddenly. "You don't. None of you do." She sat up and pulled away from him, gazing back out the window. "Every morning, I have to remind myself what my own name is. My family is dead, and I can't even remember what my mother looked like. And you guys, you're all so willing to help me and try to jog my memory, but I..." She trailed off. "I don't want help. I have to do this on my own."

"No, Lexi," he said. "You don't."

"They're _my_ memories, aren't they? Why should anyone have to help me? I'm the one who lost them. Shouldn't I be the one responsible for finding them again?"

"Because those memories are about _us_." Lexi stopped and looked at him. He nodded. "It may be your original family, too, but you've been living here for almost a year now. You have some great memories of us locked up in that over-stressed brain of yours, and we want to help you get them back."

"Like what?" She asked softly. He smiled and opened his arms, and she automatically moved over, snuggling against him with her cheek against his chest.

"Like playing basketball with us," he said, "and getting detention for skipping class to go see that movie." Lexi giggled. "And me proposing to you on Christmas last year. There's a lot of stuff we want to help you remember."

"What about the stuff you _don't_ want me to remember?"

He stopped and looked down at her. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"No one has told me _why_ I'm in the hospital, or _how_ I lost my memory. It's like you're all keeping a secret from me, and I think I have a right to know."

He sighed. "We didn't want to stress you out any more than you already are."

"You don't think telling me will help?" She asked. He shook his head. "Honestly, no. I don't at all. I think it will stress you out more, actually."

She sighed. "Kid, you _have_ to stop worrying about me so much. I can take care of myself."

"If you could, we wouldn't be in this mess, would we?"

She stopped. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you need to be watched. You're constantly getting in trouble. Last time, you were in a coma for a month. This time, you lost your memory." He sounded a bit angry. "I love you, Lexi, but you _have_ to be more careful."

She was silent.

"Lexi?" He asked. He wasn't met with a response, and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that-"

"No, don't," she interrupted. "You're right. I should be more careful. I shouldn't make rash decisions." She sighed. "I'm sorry I freaked out about the weapons earlier. It's just... I'm not used to... all of this." She gestured around them, referring to the DWMA. "The meisters, the weapons, the fighting... I don't fit in here. I'm not like you. I'm just... normal."

Kid laughed and kissed her. "You have no idea how wrong you are, Lexi."

* * *

It was around eleven o'clock that night. Kid had gone home to Gallows Manor, and Lexi was asleep in the infirmary. Lexi's injuries were healing well, but she had a major concussion from the war hammer. Of course, she didn't know how she had gotten the concussion.

She was stirred from her sleep when the light turned on. Opening her eyes, she blinked against the bright, blinding light until her eyes adjusted. She almost jumped out of her skin when she looked at the door. Standing by the light switch was a man. He was tall and pale, with dark hair and sea green eyes. She didn't recognize him.

"Hello, Lexi," he said quietly. "My name is Professor Titus, I'm a teacher here at the Academy."

* * *

**Again,**

**DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN! A plot twist! Credit for this plot twist goes to none other than Confetti108, who also gave me the idea to write the sequel. I don't own Soul Eater. Tell me what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

Lexi walked as quickly as she could towards the front door of the Academy, clutching onto her necklace. Professor Titus was actually really nice, unlike Professor Stein, who scared her with that giant screw through his head. The noise it made when it turned... Ugh, it gave Lexi chills. Professor Titus said he had something that could help restore her memory, something about _why_ she was in the hospital.

If Kid wouldn't tell her, she would find out on her own.

Professor Titus pushed one large door open and led her outside. She found it easy to follow him- he was nice to her. Together, they walked (well, he walked, and she limped) to the edge of Death City. Once there, she stopped.

"Professor Titus?" She asked. He stopped and looked at her.

"Yes, Lexi, is something wrong?" He asked kindly.

"Why are we in the desert?" She looked at him, and a look of confusion crossed her face. He sighed.

"Alright, truth time," he said. "I'm not actually a professor at the Academy." Lexi took a cautious step back, and almost began running, but for some reason, she stayed where she was. "I work for a powerful lady," he continued. "She wants to speak with you. She can help you."

Lexi furrowed her eyebrows. "Why should I trust you?"

"You trusted _Professor_ Titus, didn't you? Why not trust just Titus? I won't hurt you, I promise." He looked sad that she didn't find him trustworthy. Lexi _hated_ when people were sad because of her. She liked making people happy, not sad. But she seemed to be making them sad a lot lately.

Maybe if she left, they wouldn't be sad anymore.

She looked up at him. "Let's go." He smiled and began walking, and she followed in his footsteps, leaving Death City and the DWMA behind.

* * *

"Someone broke in the Academy last night, Soul!" Maka said. She had turned the Death City news on that morning, like she did every morning. They watched it while one of them made breakfast. At that moment, Soul was cooking, and Maka sat on the couch. He looked up from the frying pan where the bacon sizzled.

"What? That's impossible!" He said as he walked over. "No one can break in the Academy..."

The news report showed a different story. "There was no sign of forced entry," the reporter said. "It seems the suspect walked in the front door and back out the same way. No one has been reported injured or missing, which makes this a mysterious... hold on, I'm getting something." She put her hand to her earpiece, listening intently, then raised the microphone back to her mouth.

"It seems a girl has gone missing from the school infirmary," she said. "Her name is Lexi."

In Gallows Manor, Kid shot up from his spot on the couch, staring at the TV screen in disbelief. He suddenly ran out the door and bolted down the street towards the Academy. Pulling his flying skateboard out from seemingly nowhere, he got on and flew up the steps to the school. He ducked under the caution tape surrounding the front door and ran to the infirmary. Bursting in the door, he looked at the empty bed where Lexi should have been. His stomach dropped into his feet.

* * *

Titus and Lexi walked through the halls of Scorpius's castle. She was nervous- who _was_ this Scorpius lady? And what did she want with Lexi?

And why did Titus come for her in the middle of the night?

They walked past a pair of massive doors. She gazed up at them, wondering what was inside as she walked by. Eventually, they reached a set of smaller doors. Lexi took a deep breath, ignoring the pain it brought, and Titus pushed the doors open.

Scorpius stood near the center of the room. She seemed to be waiting for Lexi. Lexi almost took off running, she was so nervous, but she made herself stay put.

"Hello, Lexi," Scorpius said. There was a moment of silence, and Lexi realized Scorpius wanted her to respond.

"Hi," she said cautiously. "Who are you, and where am I?"

Scorpius chuckled. "You're eager," she said. "My name is Scorpius. You may call me Lady Scorpius. You are in my home, and I have a proposition for you." Lexi's eyebrows rose. "What _kind_ of proposition?"

She stepped closer to Lexi. "You, my dear, are _very_ powerful. You are the one who is known as the Soul Master."

"The _what_?" Lexi asked.

"The Soul Master. You have extraordinary powers beyond anyone at the DWMA. But they wanted to keep those powers hidden from you."

"Why?" She asked. Kid... he wouldn't hide something like this from her. Then again, he was hiding a lot that he didn't want her to know. Was this one of those hidden topics?

"Because you hold more power than Lord Death himself," she replied. "I can help you, my dear. I can teach you how to control these powers, I can show you how important you are."

"And where is the _deal_ part of this?" Lexi asked. "What do I have to do in return for your help?"

"Simply stay with me," she said. "I will take care of you better than the DWMA can. I can teach you how to fight, I can _protect_ you. All you have to do is say yes." Lexi looked at the ground.

A chance to control powers she didn't know she had? Protection from enemies? Maybe she could even regain her memories. Scorpius seemed to know a lot about her, maybe she could help with that. She looked up.

"I'll stay," she said. "You've got yourself a deal."

Scorpius smiled. "Perfect."

* * *

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

"This way," Titus said to Lexi. They took a left down a dimly lit hallway. After she had accepted Lady Scorpius's offer, the woman had asked Titus to show Lexi her room. She had followed him, looking around the castle curiously. There were sculptures and paintings along the walls of many different types of scorpions. She didn't like the way they looked- they were ugly, and kind of creepy. A certain painting caught her eye- one of the scorpions was black, with three white dots on its back.

She almost stopped in her tracks as Kid's face flashed in her mind. She had completely ditched him. After him treating her so nicely, she just left, without even saying goodbye. Her hand flew to her necklace, as if reassuring herself it was still there.

He had apparently proposed to her with that necklace. He meant so much to her- he was the only one she had truly trusted since she woke up in the infirmary. She quickly made a promise to both her and Kid as they approached yet another set of doors- as soon as she learned everything she could from Lady Scorpius, as soon as she could stop making everyone around her so sad, she would go back. She would go back and tell him how much she loved him and then, in a few years, she would get married to him. Just like they had planned.

They stopped in front of two doors that were a lot taller than Lexi, and looked heavy. Titus pushed them open with ease, though, and Lexi resolved that if he could do it, she could, too.

Completely ignoring the fact that he was older, bigger, stronger, and relatively uninjured.

The two of them stepped inside. The room was huge, with a gigantic king-sized bed in the center. It had black and white blankets and pillows and a white canopy over it. She had her own bathroom, and a large window gave her a great view of a stream running through the forest. It was the biggest room she could remember ever seeing.

"Whoa..." She whispered. He nodded. "Pretty cool, right?" She nodded silently, and he turned to her.

"Now, the rules," he said seriously. "You're free to go wherever you like here, _except_ for those large doors we passed earlier."

"Why, what's behind them?" She asked.

"The throne room," he replied. "There was an accident in there, and it's dangerous for anyone to go in right now. Promise me you will stay away."

Lexi nodded. "I promise."

* * *

"It's Scorpius again," Kid said. He and his friends were all sitting in class, discussing what to do about Lexi's disappearance. "It has to be."

"Hold on, Kid," Liz interrupted. "Let's try to think of some other options before we go jumping to conclusions." He turned to her.

"Alright, Liz. Tell me who else would have taken her."

Liz was silent. "I meant _brainstorm_! You know, think of where she could have gone with _everyone participating actively_!" She said defensively.

"Yeah, but there's no one else who would have," Maka said, "unless we're dealing with someone new entirely."

"I'm going to talk to my father after school," Kid said. "Maybe he'll let me see what happened." They all nodded just as Stein walked in.

"To your seats, everyone!" He said loudly. Kid stood and walked to his seat as Stein began their lesson.

* * *

"Good, Lexi!" Scorpius said. "Try it again." Lexi nodded and held her hand out. A ball of light formed over it, and with all of her strength, she threw it at a target set up across the room. It hit its mark dead-on, and the target exploded in a shower of sparks. Lexi smiled. That was the same way the _last_ three targets had gone. She stood and faced Scorpius, who looked proud.

"Perfect," she said. "My dear, you are _incredible_."

"Thank you, Lady Scorpius," she said breathlessly. Scorpius nodded. "Go take a break," she said. Lexi nodded and ran out of the room as Titus walked up to Scorpius.

"Fantastic plan, my lady," he said softly. She nodded.

"Thank you, Titus," she responded.

"My lady... I have a question," he said quietly. "You never told me _why_ Lexi is not allowed in the throne room."

"The wreckage from our little _experiment_ is still in there," she replied. "If Lexi sees it, her memory will likely return, and she will turn against us." She smiled. "Trust me, Titus. Within a week, I'll have her ready and willing to fight the DWMA."

* * *

**Ugh, sorry about that duplicate chapter, guys. I _really _meant to post this, but I guess I had a little slip of the finger and didn't notice. SORRY! I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

Kid marched swiftly through the streets of Death City towards Maka and Soul's house. It was around midnight. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides. In his hand was a picture. It was slightly crumpled, and a little faded around the edges, but that was because he always carried it with him. It was a picture of him and Lexi, sitting on the edge of the railing on a balcony overlooking the city- the place where they had shared their first kiss. It was a warm, beautiful summer day. They were smiling at the camera, and it would have been perfect if Black Star's finger wasn't visible in the corner of the shot. Lexi didn't have makeup on. Her hair wasn't done, she didn't look special at all.

Kid thought she looked beautiful.

He always had the picture in his pocket. He never left home without it. He was sitting in the hallway outside the Death Room, staring at it for about half an hour until his dad finished talking to Stein and he could go in. He had stood and walked in calmly, despite the storm clouding his mind, and demanded to see who had taken Lexi. As he watched the scene unfold in the mirror, his fists clenched tighter. As soon as it was over, he walked out without a word and headed straight for Soul and Maka's home.

Finally arriving, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer. After a moment, he heard shuffling inside, and the door opened. Blair stood there, looking him over.

"Hi, Kid," she said. "Is there something wrong?"

'_No point in hiding it,_' he thought to himself. "Yes, there is," he replied. "May I come in?" She nodded and stepped aside, and he walked into the house.

Maka and Soul were sitting on the couch, in their pajamas. They had been watching a movie, but it droned on in the background as they looked at him.

"What is it?" Maka asked. Kid stood across from them, on the other side of the coffee table, his hands now in his pockets.

"We were right," he said. "Titus took Lexi back to Scorpius."

Maka's fists clenched, and she immediately got up from the couch. "Let's go," she said angrily. She began walking out the door, but Kid stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It isn't going to be as easy this time," he said. "Titus lied so Lexi would trust him, and I'm willing to bet Scorpius did, too. They may have even tried to turn her against us." He sighed. "As much as I want to go in their and kill them _both_ for doing this to Lexi, we have to be smart. Running in there blindly will just get us killed." Maka sighed and nodded, then looked at him.

"So what do we do?" She asked. He shrugged. "We start planning. Hopefully, we'll get there before it's too late."

* * *

Lexi was lying in her bed, still awake despite hours of trying to fall asleep. She loved it here- Lady Scorpius and Titus were so nice to her. In just one day, she had advanced in her lessons from Scorpius from using energy attacks to what Lady Scorpius called "Soul Shift." She had nearly mastered the first part. Lady Scorpius said there were two parts to it- the meister part, and the weapon part. She had the meister part down, and had finally accepted the whole people-turning-into-weapons thing. She was excited to learn the weapon half of it. But for some reason, she couldn't sleep. Her body was aching and begging for sleep, but her mind was a whirlwind of different thoughts.

She missed Kid. She wished he was there, holding her, talking to her. She wished she hadn't left without saying goodbye, but a goodbye would have just made him sad, and making people sad was the whole reason she had left in the first place. Maybe he wouldn't be mad at her for leaving. Maybe he'd be happy she had learned all this new stuff, so she could help in the battles he had told her about. Those ones against... what were they called? Oh, right. Kishins, or something like that. She sighed and turned onto her side, pulling the blanket up over her shoulder and snuggling deep down between the sheets. Maybe she could call him, or go visit, or...

No. He'd just try to convince her to go back to the DWMA. But she didn't want to go back to the school, just to him. The DWMA had hidden these powers from her, they had thought she was too dangerous. But Lady Scorpius didn't think that. She thought Lexi was special, not dangerous. Not a burden to everyone around her. Why would she go back to the DWMA? Just to see him? If they knew who she was, and still kept the truth from her...

Maybe it wasn't worth it.

She sighed and closed her eyes. She had to get sleep, she was going to need it for practice tomorrow. But her thoughts kept whirling around.

What if they came for her? They would surely try to kill Lady Scorpius. Lexi glared into the darkness. She couldn't let that happen. Lady Scorpius had been so nice to her. Lexi trusted her. If they tried to kill her... As she fell asleep, she made up her mind.

If the DWMA came after her, she would protect Lady Scorpius.

* * *

The next day, Lexi was awake early and walking around the castle aimlessly, eating an apple. She hadn't been able to fall back asleep after she woke, so she just decided to get up. As she turned corner after corner, she determined that the place was really more like a maze than a castle. As she passed a small metal door that was propped open slightly, she stopped. She stepped towards the door and pushed it open enough so she could look inside.

It was a relatively small room compared to the others in the castle. Inside was a metal cage, large enough to hold about fifteen or twenty people. There was something about this room...

She stepped closer to the cage and pulled open the door. Why did she feel like she had been here before, maybe even in this cage? She took a step inside, her shoe making a slight echo on the metal floor, and blinked.

Suddenly, she saw herself and about fifteen other people sitting on the floor of this cage. And... was that Maka with her? They all looked tired and scared. Lexi's head was bleeding lightly.

As fast as the vision came, it was gone. She blinked and stumbled back a step. Looking around, the cage was empty again. She blinked, trying to see the vision again, but she couldn't bring it back to her mind.

Why had she seen that? She'd never been in this room before...

Had she?

"Lexi!" An echoing voice called her name. It was deep, and masculine- Titus. It must have been time for her practice with Lady Scorpius. She ran out of the cage and opened the door. Peeking out into the hallway, she could hear his footsteps, but couldn't see him. She stepped into the hallway and closed the door, but left it open just a crack- just the way it had been. She then took a bite of her apple to make herself look a bit more casual. She began walking in the direction of his voice.

"Lexi!" He called again.

"I'm over here!" She called back, trying to stop her hands from shaking. She heard his footsteps get louder until he turned the corner into the hallway.

"There you are!" He said, jogging up to her. "Lady Scorpius was looking for you. It's time to start your practice." She nodded, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" He asked. She shrugged.

"I... no reason," she said more confidently than she felt. He searched her eyes, then led her off towards Lady Scorpius. She resisted the urge to glance back at the door.

What _was_ that?

* * *

**She's having flashbacks! I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

"Left arm to a sword!" Lexi's left arm shone a bright white and turned into a sword blade, wickedly sharp. Scorpius smiled.

"Perfect!" Lexi smiled and her arm changed back. She had been transforming different parts of her body into weapons for two hours now, and it was going very well. But she was getting tired- her injuries from who-knows-what were inhibiting her abilities, and she was running out of energy quickly.

And that vision... she was thinking about it so much, it was starting to distract her. Why had she seen it? Was it... could it have been a memory?

No. That wasn't possible. She had never been in that castle before in her _life_... As far as she knew. Maybe... '_Okay_,' she thought to herself. '_All I have to do is go back to that room and see if there's anything in there that proves my vision. Maybe a footprint or something like that. If there isn't anything there, I was just hallucinating. Simple as that_.'

"You look tired," Lady Scorpius said. "Is something bothering you?"

"Just the injuries," she said. "I'll be fine." Lady Scorpius searched her eyes, then sighed.

"You're lying," she said. "You are tired, you won't be fine. You should go rest."

"Lady Scorpius, I'll be-"

"Go. We'll continue with practice later. I don't need you falling asleep while turning into a mace." Lexi sighed and bowed to her.

"Yes, Lady Scorpius," she said obediently. She then walked out, pretending to go to her room.

Once she had turned a few corners, she doubled back and slipped silently past the doors leading into the room Lady Scorpius was in. She jogged quietly down the hallway, passing the throne room, then suddenly stopped.

A chill ran over her body as she slowed her pace. It was these doors... Titus had told her to stay away from them, because it was dangerous. But... why? _Why_ was it dangerous? Was there something in there that was linked to what she had seen in the small cage? She sighed and shook her head, clearing the thought out of her mind. She wasn't allowed inside, and that was _final_. She continued walking down the hall until she reached the small door. Pushing it open silently, she stepped inside. It was exactly the way she had left it- the cage door was even swinging open a bit on its hinges. She walked to the door and held a bar in her hand. It was ice cold. Closing her eyes, she stepped inside the cage.

The vision returned.

It was clearer than it had been the first time. Lexi was sitting on the floor of the cage, leaning against Maka while about fifteen other people watched them. She didn't have all of the injuries she had now, but there was a small cut on the left side of her head, above her ear. She seemed to be talking to the other people in the cage, but she couldn't hear herself or them. Suddenly, everyone in the cage snapped to attention, and Lexi's eyes went wide. She turned around, and saw the door opened, and a man standing there.

Titus.

"Lexi, what are you doing in here?" He asked, walking in. The vision faded immediately, but Titus was actually there, walking over to her. He took her arm and led her out of the cage, then closed and locked it. She watched him silently, her hands clasped behind her back and her heart pounding in her ears. He led her out of the small room and into the hallway, then closed and locked that door as well. He then turned to her.

"Why were you in there?" He asked. For some reason, he looked like he was trying to control his anger. Lexi's heart was pounding rapidly- she _hated_ when people got mad at her. "_Well_?"

"I just found it," she mumbled. She cleared her throat. "I found it, and the door was propped open, so I went inside. Sorry for being curious." He looked right into her eyes.

"Have you gone in the throne room?" He asked seriously. Now, _that_ was something she didn't have to lie about.

"No," she responded. "I stayed out, like you told me." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Now let's go, alright?" She nodded, and he led her down the hall.

What were the visions she had seen? There was nothing in the cage to prove that they had happened, no blood on the floor from a wound, or-

That was it! In the vision, Lexi had had a cut over her left ear from something. Glancing at Titus, she raised her left hand to her ear and felt her head.

Her heart nearly stopped when she felt the cut there.

Titus watched her out of the corner of his eye. When she touched the cut, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

How much did she know?

* * *

"Alright," Kid said. "If we're ready, let's go."

They were all gathered in Gallows Manor- but this time, they were more prepared. Along with the group that went to rescue Lexi the first time, other students from the Academy had decided to join them. And every one of them was friends with Lexi. She had made friends with each of them at some point, in completely different circumstances- sometimes, people wanted to borrow her notes for class, and Lexi would immediately bond with them. Other times, the person would be a bullying victim or something, and Lexi would go and stand up for them. No matter who it was, no matter what they looked like or how they acted, Lexi made friends with them. Many people were convinced it was because of her Soul Shift- but Kid knew it was just because of the kind of person Lexi was.

There were at least twenty more meisters with them, each holding their weapon partners. Each of the meisters looked deadly- they were ready for a fight. They all nodded, and the crew began walking out of Gallows Manor and through the streets of Death City. Maka and Kid led the troupe through the desert, and after about two and a half hours of walking through the night- a welcome relief from walking in the day, when the desert would have been scorching hot- they reached the edge of the forest concealing Scorpius's castle. Kid turned to face the group.

"Once we enter the forest, don't speak to anyone," he said loudly, so he could be heard. "We don't want to increase our chances of being found. Our objective is not only to free Lexi, but to kill Scorpius and Titus, so they can't get to her again. Is everyone clear on the plan?"

The crowd murmured their assent. Most of them, if not all, were very nervous. Kid understood this- he was nervous as well, but he chose to push his fear away. All he wanted was Lexi back in his arms again.

He stared ahead silently as the group trudged through the forest, Liz and Patty held tightly in his hands. After today, he would never again let anything hurt Lexi. After today, she would be safe.

He was ready to kill Scorpius.

* * *

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

Titus sat next to the window in his room, staring out above the forest. He looked as if he was deep in thought- and he was. Something should have happened by now. The DWMA should have come to retrieve Lexi long before this. How large could the rescue team they had formed possibly be? Lexi was just one girl, there couldn't have been _that_ many people who cared about her. He felt almost certain that the weird doctor guy with the screw through his head would be there, and he had a bone to pick with him. No one had _ever_ bested Titus in a fight like that. Lexi almost had when she was weak and in pain, which also angered Titus. He did _not_ want her fighting this battle for the DWMA.

Which was why he had taken her away from the cage in the room earlier that day. She had felt the cut above her ear Titus had accidentally given her when he hit her head on the window in her room. The only reason she would have done that was if she remembered it was there- it was too insignificant for her to notice it on her own. He felt quite positive his theory was correct.

Lexi's memory was slowly returning to her. She was having flashbacks of her past. She knew she loved Kid, and she was going to have to make a difficult decision between protecting the boy she loved or the people who had taken her in.

If she got her memory back, she would know what they did. She would figure it out, she would _know_ that they lied to get her to trust them in her weakened state. She would hate them for it, and she would attack them without a second thought. Titus could _not_ allow that to happen. He had to ensure she stayed on their side. There was no other option. Maybe he could-

He squinted out the window at something in the distance. His hand went to the sword at his belt as his eyes narrowed.

Yes, there it was. Led by that kid with the weird stripes on the side of his head, there was a group trekking through the forest. It was certainly bigger than the last time, but as he watched, more and more students of the Academy poured out of the trees and into the clearing. There were at least a hundred there, more than Titus had anticipated by half. His hand tightened around his sword and he stood, walking down the hallway swiftly. It would take time for them to get through the forces at the front door, and he had people to warn. As he walked to Lady Scorpius, he passed guard after guard that ran past him to the front doors. Soon enough, he saw Lexi walking towards him, and put a hand on her shoulder. She winced slightly - she was healing quickly, but her body was still injured, and they always had to be careful about how far they pushed her. She looked up at him.

"Go to your room," he said. She looked confused.

"Why?" She questioned. "And where are all of the guards going? What's-"

"I said go to your room!" He barked, a bit more roughly than intended. She winced again, not at his hand on her shoulder but at the tone of his voice. She bowed her head.

"Yes, sir," she said quietly. She headed off down the hallway and opened the door to her room. Walking inside, the door closed with a heavy thud.

Titus kept walking until he reached Lady Scorpius.

"My lady," he said, walking in, "the DWMA has-"

"I know," she interrupted. "You are not to stay and protect me. You will join the guards in their fight."

"But, my lady, what about the girl?" He asked. If Lady Scorpius didn't need protection- he had had a hunch she would refuse- they both knew Lexi would. She nodded slowly.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," she said. "Go guard her. Keep those kids _away_ from her. Understood?"

He bowed. "Yes, my lady."

* * *

Kid fought off guard after guard. They had already managed to push their way into the castle, and they were, surprisingly enough, succeeding against the guards. They stormed through the corridors, fighting a guard whenever they came to one. They were almost to the throne room when _he_ showed up.

Kid's grip on his guns tightened when he saw Titus.

"Hello," Titus called. "I'll assume you're here for Lexi?"

"No, we're here to have a tea party!" Black Star yelled. "Of _course_ we're here for Lexi! Now tell us where she is!"

"If you hurt her again, I swear on my life, I will kill you," Kid growled. "Although death would be too kind for someone like _you_."

"You can't kill me," Titus taunted. "There's no point. Lexi is on _our_ side. She's convinced that _we're_ the good guys, and she will fight you."

"She wouldn't," he said lowly. "Lexi knows who her friends are, she knows-" he stopped when he remembered.

She _didn't_ know. She had no idea. Slowly, Kid began to realize Titus's plan. Take Lexi, trick her into thinking _they_ were the good guys and the DWMA was holding her back, and training her to fight against them. It was sick. He immediately raised his guns and began firing at Titus.

"Go find Lexi!" He shouted to Maka. She nodded and ran down the hall, checking in every room for her friend. She opened and closed door after door with no luck.

She froze after running by an open door. Backing up a few steps, her heart skipped a beat as she looked at what was inside.

"Well, hello, Maka," Lady Scorpius said sweetly. "How are you doing?"

* * *

Lexi sat anxiously on her bed, her hands folded in her lap. Something was happening out there, but why wasn't she allowed to see? What were all the guards rushing down the hall for, why-

She heard guns. Her heart leapt- _Kid_ had guns! Kid was... here...

She gulped. She had promised she would defend Lady Scorpius and Titus, should the DWMA come after her, but now she was having second thoughts. How was she supposed to fight Kid? He had been so nice to her, and she felt so bad for leaving him... But it had been for the best. She was so much more powerful now... She had to see him. She missed him _so_ much. She opened the door and peeked out into the hall.

There was nothing there, but the sounds of battle were clear. Lexi stepped further out into the hallway and began following the sounds. She was heading right to the room Lady Scorpius was in when she heard a loud thud and a crack. She immediately transformed her right hand into the blade of a knife and ran into the room.

Maka was just getting to her feet. There was a large crack in the wall, and Lexi figured it was from the force of Maka's body hitting the stone. Lady Scorpius stood across the room, her hand glowing with a wicked red light. She brought her hand back, ready to throw the ball of light at Maka.

"Stop!" She yelled, loud enough for them both to stop what they were doing and look at her.

"Lexi!" Maka said, shocked. She started to run to her, but as soon as she moved, Scorpius let the ball of light fly towards Maka.

"No!" Lexi yelled. Sticking out her hand towards Maka, a shield of silver light formed immediately around her. The light bounced harmlessly off and hit the wall behind them, and Scorpius glared at Lexi.

"What are you _doing_?" She yelled angrily. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"I am!" Lexi yelled back, "but Maka is still my friend, and I won't let you hurt her."

"You're fighting for _her_?" Maka asked quietly, shocked. "Lexi, how could you believe them? Scorpius and Titus are the reasons you were in the hospital in the first place, they're the reasons why you lost your memory! They kidnapped us and tortured you, then tricked you into joining them!"

Lexi blinked. That couldn't be possible... Could it? Maka had said they had kidnapped the _both_ of them... The visions in the cage, with Maka there...

"Don't believe her!" Scorpius yelled. "She's lying to make you go back to the DWMA!"

"No, _she's_ lying!" Maka said, pointing to Scorpius. "Don't believe-"

"Will both of you just _shut up_?" Lexi was holding her head in pain. Memories were flashing through her head like strobe lights, and her head felt like it was about to split open. The cage... Titus trying to kill the old man... Lexi stepping forward, Maka crying out for her, Lexi being dragged out and thrown in prison. Why was all of this happening? Was what Maka was telling her true? What if-

"Lexi!" Lexi's eyes snapped open when she heard his voice, and she looked up. Kid was running towards her. A warm feeling spread throughout her entire body, and she took off towards him as well. She leapt into his arms, and tears sprang to her eyes.

He hugged her tightly, practically squeezing the life out of her. Judging by the way he was breathing, he was crying. Lexi pulled out of the hug to look at him.

"Stop that," she said softly, brushing away the tears on his face with the back of her fingers. He smiled softly and kissed her. That same warm feeling melted over her again as she kissed him happily back.

Happy until she remembered she had a decision to make.

She froze. How could she decide between the boy she loved and the people who had taken her in? The memories... She was still so confused about them...

He pulled away slowly and looked at her. "What is it?" He asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

"The memories..." She said quietly. More flashbacks were running through her head. Passing out in Stein's class. Maka and Soul's house on fire. Her Releasing Calix's soul. The one that hit her the hardest was her and Kid, standing on a balcony. She had snowflakes in her hair. He said something, she turned to him, and he kissed her. Why was all of this happening _now_? It was giving her a migraine. She put her hands on the sides of her heads and whimpered, just a bit.

Kid froze. Memories... That must mean she was having flashbacks! If he could get her memory back entirely... He suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, running into the hallway. He took her to a secluded corner- if any guards passed them by, they wouldn't see them.

"When did you start having flashbacks?" He whispered, so they wouldn't be overheard.

"Yesterday, day before," she responded quietly. "Why?"

"Where were you when you had them?"

"That room with the cage in it. Kid, why-"

"Have you been in Scorpius's throne room at all?"

"No, I'm not allowed inside," she said. "Do you know what's in there?" He took her hands.

"Everything Maka said was true," he said. "But to get your memories back, you have to see it for yourself. We're going in that throne room." He began pulling her down the hall. He remembered exactly where the room was, and they were there in under a minute. He put both hands on the massive doors and shoved until they creaked open.

Lexi's eyes widened at the mess. There was broken glass _everywhere_. A small square of tiled floor sat in the middle of the room. Scorpius's throne was burned and scorched, with slash marks and gun holes all over it. The room smelled like smoke and blood.

She slowly took steps towards the square of tile on the floor, her boots crunching on broken glass as she walked. She got the feeling _this_ was what Kid wanted her to see. As soon as her foot hit the tile, she was hit with an image of water falling from what looked like a shower. The image changed and showed water dripping off Lexi's face and splashing onto the tile. Lexi blinked, and she was back to reality. Kid had walked up behind her.

"They used it to torture you," he said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They poured water on you and then electrocuted you. The water amplified the effects of the electricity..."

An image of Lexi's back arching flashed through her mind. Lights flashed around her, and her mouth was open in a scream. The glass all around her shattered, and in reality, Lexi fell to her knees, ignoring the pain when shards of glass pierced her skin. There was a spot of dried blood on the tile. She stared at it as her hands began to shake.

"That's my blood, isn't it?" She asked Kid. But he didn't have to answer her. She already knew the answer as an image of him holding her limp body, covered in broken glass and soaking wet, came to her. Blood dripped from the wound on her head to the tiled floor.

She was suddenly bombarded with memory after memory, like rapid fire. Each memory hurt her head more than the last. She saw growing up with her family in New York City. She saw them getting in the car crash- the one Calix had caused, the one she shouldn't have been able to walk away from but did. She saw herself leaving New York and going to Detroit, then Chicago. She then gave up on big cities and started staying in more remote areas- that didn't help. He always found her. She saw herself on that rock in the sea, discovering the knife Kid had used to save her life. She watched as she discovered she was both a meister and a weapon, as she taught herself how to use energy attacks. She watched the day she arrived in Death City, running from him yet again and taking down the Kishin with Maka and Soul. She met Kid in class, Maka and Soul's house burned down, they moved in with Kid. Kid took her to the balcony and they kissed for the first time. Calix disguised himself as Stein, and he and Maka tried to kill her. She took on Calix and he stabbed her, Kid carried her home, and he killed Calix. She Released his soul and spent a month in a coma. Kid proposed to her when she woke up. She shoveled the front steps, said goodbye to her family, and lived in Death City happily for a year.

By then, Lexi was holding her head in pain. All of this hurt, everything. She started remembering the past few months. Stein working her harder than usual. Nightmares causing her to lose sleep, getting forced to fight alone in Fight Week. Getting kidnapped by Titus. She saw Maka and all of the others in the cage as she was dragged away, she was thrown in prison. Scorpius offered for Lexi to join her. Lexi declined, and she fought with Titus. She saw the guy smash the hammer into the side of her head. She was put into the tank and electrocuted. Kid came and rescued her. She was taken again, this time tricked. Scorpius began training her. She forced Lexi to believe the _lies_ she had force-fed her...

A bright white light filled Lexi's vision as her memories returned to her. She clutched at her head- the pain was practically unbearable. She could feel Kid holding her hand, telling her it would be okay. But she couldn't make the pain stop. She had to go back in there and fight Scorpius, she _had_ to get revenge. She squeezed her eyes shut.

When they opened again, they were glowing silver. She brought her hands slowly away from her head as the Soul Master inside of her took over, pushing regular Lexi away, into the back of her mind. She got off her knees and walked swiftly out of the throne room, back to where Scorpius was, as Kid followed. She stared straight at the witch, who was battling Maka again. Maka wasn't very hurt at all, but neither was Scorpius. The witch turned and smiled at Lexi.

"Lexi," she said sweetly. "Help me defeat our enemies. You know where you belong- here, with me. I'll protect you, I will ensure nothing hurts you."

Lexi glared. Scorpius was actually intimidated by the smaller, less experienced girl just by the way she was looking at her. Like she _wanted_ to kill Scorpius.

It suddenly dawned on her. _Lexi remembered_.

"Now, Lexi," she said, trying to rationalize, "don't do anything you're going to regret-"

"I regret _nothing_!" She suddenly ran full-speed at Scorpius, her arm turning into the blade of a sword, and swung. Caught off-guard, the blade sunk deep into Scorpius's side. The witch gasped and pushed Lexi away roughly with a ball of red energy. She flipped and landed on her feet, then looked up and ran at her again.

Scorpius never landed a hit on Lexi, and Lexi cut her many times until she was bleeding profusely. Finally, she had Scorpius beaten. She stood in front of the witch, who was leaning against the wall, trying to regain her breath. Lexi's arm changed back to a regular arm. Stein ran in at that moment and stood next to Kid, who looked at him.

"Titus is dead," he reported. Kid nodded, and they both turned their attention to Lexi.

Her hand was glowing silver, like her eyes. She raised it to her side, glaring at Scorpius, and said one word.

"Liar."

Her hand plunged into Scorpius's chest. The witch screamed as Lexi slowly pulled her hand out, taking her soul with it. As they all watched, Scorpius's body faded away, blowing away with some invisible wind, and Lexi stood there, holding Scorpius's soul. But instead of crushing it in her hand like she usually did, she set it on the ground. Stein's eyes widened.

"What is she doing?" Kid asked him.

"She's Destroying it," he responded. "It's the opposite of Releasing the souls- it sends them basically to hell. The Soul Master only Destroys souls he or she thinks don't deserve a chance in the afterlife." He turned his attention back to Lexi as she raised her foot and suddenly stomped as hard as she could on the soul. The sound of broken glass filled the room, and when she raised her foot again, there were shards of purple witch soul on the ground. They seemed to melt into the stone floor, and Kid realized what she had done. She had _killed_ Scorpius. The witch would never be coming back, and neither would Titus.

Lexi could finally be safe.

He smiled as he ran up to her, enveloping her in a hug. "You're safe now," he whispered. But his heart sank a bit as he realized she wasn't hugging him back. He pulled away and looked at her.

She was staring off at some random point on the wall behind them. Her arms hung at her sides, and her eyes were still glowing silver. Normally, they would have changed back by now, and she would have passed out. But they remained silver, glowing in the dimming light as the sun set.

"Lexi?" He said softly. "Can you hear me?" She gave no answer, no sign that she had heard him at all. Stein narrowed his eyes, then realized what was happening.

"Kid, she can't hear you," he said. "The Soul Master inside of her has taken over, she won't be able to hear you until she returns to her normal self."

"How long will that take?" He asked, looking at Lexi. Her eyes stayed the way they were, silver and locked on a fixed point behind them.

Stein sighed. "I've got no idea. To be put in basic terms: Lexi is trapped inside her own mind."

* * *

**Dun**

**Dun**

**DUN!**

**Haha, cliff hanger! Sorry for the long wait, guys. I got really caught up in stuff this week, I didn't have much time to write. So I gave you an extra-eventful chapter to make up for it. Yay! I don't own Soul Eater. Please review, I love reviews!**


	21. Chapter 21

It had been a week since Lexi had been retrieved from Scorpius's castle. Both Titus and Scorpius were dead. Lexi had Destroyed Titus's soul as well, but she still remained trapped in her own mind. Her eyes stayed silver. Kid brought her back to the DWMA, holding her hand and talking to her the entire way. She could walk, but she had to be led places. Her eyes stared at some fixated point on the horizon. She never blinked. Kid wondered what she was thinking about- he was almost certain Lexi was awake _somewhere_, deep in her own mind. He was almost sure she knew what was going on around her, but she had no control over what she was doing. The Soul Master inside of her had taken over, shoving Lexi away from him completely. He didn't even know if his plan- show her the wreckage of the torture device, and get her memories back- had worked.

To be honest, he just missed Lexi.

He always sat in the infirmary with her. He skipped his classes, sitting there and holding her hand and talking to her while she made no sign she even registered his presence. She didn't sleep, didn't eat, didn't talk. She didn't move unless she was moved by someone else.

She just stared.

Kid often took her on walks- walks through the school, walks around the city. They never went further than Gallows Manor. He took her there, too- showing her where she lived, where she slept, where he slept. She never reacted, not to anything.

She just stared.

Eventually, Kid had to start going back to his classes. He spent every class thinking about her. He began failing quizzes because he was so distracted- he spent hours drawing her name in his notebook, or thinking about ways to get her back. He often drew her- her eyes, mostly. The way they used to be, that incredible hazel that always made him feel better when he looked into them.

After a week had passed, Kid decided he had had enough of this torture. He didn't think he could bear waiting another month, or possibly longer, for her to wake up. So he decided to do something.

He was sitting with Lexi in the infirmary. Stein sat in the chair next to the bed. She was lying down, staring blankly at the ceiling. Kid held her hand.

"What can I do?" He asked Stein suddenly. The professor jumped a little at the sudden break in the silence.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I _mean_, what can I do?" He repeated. "I can't handle another month of being without her. Just one week hurts so much. I need to get her back, Professor, I _have_ to."

"She's trapped inside her own mind, Kid," he said. "She's lost in there. The only way she can leave is if she finds the way out."

"...What if I _show_ her the way out?"

Stein looked up. "What do you mean? Lexi's mind has been locked away deep inside her subconscious. You can't-"

"For Lexi to walk around now, she has to be led by someone, or she doesn't know where she's going," Kid interrupted. "Maybe all I have to do is find her and lead her out."

Stein considered this. "What if you get lost, too?"

"I know the way she thinks," he said. "I won't get lost in her mind." Stein sighed.

"I guess you can _try_," he said. "But don't be upset if it fails. There are no guarantees." Kid nodded.

"I'm coming, Lexi," he whispered. "Just hold on a little longer." He began to lean down, as if he was going to kiss her, but instead pressed their foreheads together. He closed his eyes.

* * *

Lexi's mind was not a peaceful place. It never had been, and she knew it probably never would be. There was only one place here that made her truly happy, and she wanted to find it.

She started off in a dark forest. There was almost no light at all. Lexi wore that white dress with the gold accents again. She was barefoot, and it worried her a bit when she started walking- what if she stepped on a rock or something and hurt her foot?- but she soon realized she couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet. Her hair was newly curled under the gold circlet around her head. She walked through the forest, slightly intimidated by the darkness and the sounds she heard. Often, there were screams- bloodcurdling, terrified screams from people Lexi had seen die. The moon was full above her, but that just cast eerie shadows over the trees, making the branches look like skeleton hands, reaching out to grab her and pull her in.

She didn't have a path to follow. She didn't know where she was going, but she never retraced her steps and went back. She just walked, waiting to see what she would find.

After walking for what seemed like three days, the forest let out- into exactly the place she wanted to be. She was back in the field, though still near the line of trees making up the dark forest. This was where she had spent a lot of her time in the month-long coma, with her friends from the DWMA. But this time, none of them were there. This time, it was her family.

They were all dressed in white. Everyone was there- her mother, Ariana, her father, Ryan, her older brother, Max, and her little sister, Tori. Even their dog, Mocha, was there. She smiled and waved when she saw them, and they waved back. They all surrounded the bench, and Lexi began running towards them. As she did, she began to be able to feel the ground beneath her feet. The grass tickled her toes, but it was like a soft, green blanket. She soon reached the tree, and launched herself into her father's arms.

"I thought I would never see you all again!" She said happily. She had freed them last year, on New Year's Eve, by accepting their deaths and moving on. She had the picture from that dream sitting on her bedside table at home.

"Just because you freed us," her father said softly, "doesn't mean we're going to disappear. We've been keeping an eye on you, Lexi." He released her from the hug, and she turned to her mother, wrapping her arms around her. A breeze, not too warm but, at the same time, not too cold, rustled the leaves in the tree above them and blew her hair around her face. She turned to Max, who picked her up and spun her around as she laughed. He had been seventeen when he died, and that was how he looked now. Tori leapt into her arms and kissed her cheek adorably. She had only been six. Mocha ran up, and Lexi picked him up. He licked her face, and she giggled lightly and kissed the top of his head, then set him down.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked. Not that she wanted them to leave, but she didn't understand why they had come.

"We didn't want you to wait all alone," Max explained. "He'll be around soon enough, but you would have gotten bored waiting for him."

"Who will be coming?" She asked skeptically. There were a lot of _he's_ she could expect- Kid (her number one choice), or her friend Sammy from when she was thirteen and living in Chicago, or even Stein or Lord Death. Soul, maybe, or Black Star. Any of those options would have been acceptable. But then there were the people she _didn't_ want to see... Calix, for one. Titus. Her old math teacher, Mr. Dean. He was always mean to her. But him showing up in her dream wasn't very likely.

"You'll see," Max said, not really answering her question at all. She sighed and sat between her mother and her father on the bench. Tori ran over and climbed onto her lap, and Lexi giggled lightly and kissed the top of her head.

"So," she said. "How's the afterlife?"

"Incredible," her mother replied. "It's so much more beautiful than Earth. There are a lot of elderly people, though." Lexi laughed at that.

"I would imagine so," she said.

"Your brother met a girl," her father chimed in. Lexi looked at Max.

"When were you going to tell me this?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Actually, we're getting married," he said. "It was the best year of my death, with her. I was going to tell you soon, but I didn't know how you could have gone to the wedding..." His face was a soft shade of red, and Lexi laughed.

"What's her name?" She asked.

"Alice," he replied. "She died when she was seventeen, too- got caught in crossfire in a gang fight. She was shot in the head. She said it didn't hurt much, though." Lexi nodded slowly.

"What an awful way to die," she said softly.

"She's happy now, though," he said. "The wedding is in four days. Maybe... Maybe you can come? I'd really like it if you were there, Lex..." She smiled.

"Miss my own brother's wedding?" She said. "How could I? Of _course_ I'll go, Max." He smiled and hugged her.

"Perfect," he said. "I can't wait for you to meet her. She's so nice, she'll _love_ you."

Lexi spent hours talking to her family. They didn't sleep at all- none of them felt tired. Soon, hours turned into days, and when four of these days passed, her family got ready to leave.

"We've got a wedding to attend," her mother said with a smile. "Are you ready to go?" Lexi nodded. "I am, let's-"

"Lexi?" Tori tugged on the hem of her dress, and Lexi knelt down to look at her.

"What's up, Tori?" She asked. The small girl pointed to the trees.

"Who's that?" She asked. Lexi turned and looked at the boy just stepping out of the trees, and a smile graced her face. She turned to her family. "You guys go on ahead," she said. "I'll catch up with you." They all watched the boy for a moment, then began walking into a white light next to the tree. Lexi turned and waved at him, trying to get his attention.

"Kid!" She shouted. She began running towards him. "Kid!"

* * *

Kid opened his eyes. He was in a forest, a dark, creepy forest. _This_ was where Lexi was? He knew how she thought, but was this what her mind was like? How was he going to find her in here?

He looked at the ground. There was no path to follow, but he could faintly make out footsteps in the dirt. Bare footprints. Who would be crazy enough to walk around a forest barefoot? Then again, following them seemed to be the logical thing to do. At least they would lead him to _someone_- hopefully Lexi. He began following them, a bit intimidated by the darkness. He walked swiftly through the trees, not wanting to waste any time in finding her and bringing her home. He looked down at the ground and suddenly realized that every patch of white on his suit had turned gold. The black stayed the way it was, but the white spots had turned to gold. He wondered why that was.

After a few hours, the footprints faded, and he could see a bright light up ahead of him. He walked towards it, and after a bit of walking, the trees ended and the grass began. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness, and he saw a tree and a bench. There were people around it- two older people, a man and a woman, who Kid assumed were married from the way they looked at each other. There was another boy, about his age, maybe a bit older, and a young girl. There was even a dog. They all wore white. The little girl was talking to a slightly older girl who looked to be about the same age as Kid. She wore a white dress with gold accents, and her blonde hair was curled. The little girl pointed right at Kid, and the older girl stood and turned.

Lexi.

A wide smile broke out on his face. She smiled as well, and turned and said something to the people. A bright light appeared behind them, and they walked into it, leaving Lexi behind. She turned and faced Kid, then waved to him and began calling his name. He smiled and began running for her, and she did the same.

She leapt into his arms, and he hugged her, practically squeezing the life out of her. He spun her around, lifting her bare feet off the ground. She laughed happily, and he set her down and kissed her. She kissed him back passionately, her arms wrapping around his neck. His hands rested gently around her waist, holding her close to him.

"I missed you so much," he said when they pulled away. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm great. And I missed you too, Kid." She kissed him again.

"Who were those people?" He asked.

"My family," she replied. "They didn't want me to wait for you all alone."

"They knew I was coming?" He asked, a bit shocked. She shrugged.

"I guess so," she replied. "You _have_ to meet them, Kid. They're gonna love you. I told them all about you..."

"Your dad doesn't have a shotgun, does he?"

She laughed- a beautiful, genuine laugh. "No," she said, still giggling a bit. "And even if he did, he wouldn't have a reason to use it."

He sighed. "Where are they? Because we've really got to go."

"They left," she said. "I told them we'd catch up. Come on!"

"Lexi, we don't have time," he said as she grabbed his hand. "We've got to get you out of here." She turned to him as the white light formed behind her.

"We've got all the time we want, Kid," she said. "Now come on. We've got a wedding to attend." She smiled and pulled him through the light.

* * *

**Aww, a wedding! I can't wait to write that scene... Anyways, thanks for all the reviews! I don't own Soul Eater (however much I wish I did). Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

When Kid and Lexi stepped out of the light, they were immediately surrounded by dead people.

They were on a beach. The ocean air tasted salty in Kid's mouth, but he didn't really mind. He glanced at Lexi- she had a smile on her face, and the breeze coming off the water made her hair fall around her face perfectly. She still wore the same dress and the same gold circlet around her hair, but somehow she had acquired shoes- gold sandals that wrapped around her feet, and stopped at her ankles. Her eyes sparkled. She looked beautiful.

"Max always loved beaches," she said to Kid, still holding his hand. "I guess Alice does, too."

"Who are Max and Alice?" Kid asked. She had told him once about a guy named Max, but with everything that had been happening lately, he couldn't remember who he was.

"Max is my older brother," she explained. "He was six years older than me when he died, so he should be twenty-two now. Alice is his fiancée."

"Wait… people get _married_ in the afterlife?" he asked, a bit shocked. He had always thought when someone died, life just… stopped. He had never stopped to consider what happened _after_. Lexi giggled and nodded.

"When one life ends, a new one begins," she said simply. All around them, the guests began to take their seats. Kid guessed there were about fifty people there as Lexi pulled him to two open chairs she had seen, and they sat down. People were looking at her and pointing, but she really didn't seem to mind.

It was almost as if she was used to it.

A man walked down the aisle. He wore a tuxedo, and his head was bald. He had kind, green eyes that showed years of love and laughter. He carried a book, and Kid realized he was a priest- the one who would be marrying Max and Alice. Two men in tuxedos- each looked to be about eighteen- walked down the aisle. They stood up on the altar, waiting. A young boy, no older than ten, came next, holding two rings on a pillow. He was adorable. Then, as Kid watched her, Lexi's smile widened. After them came Max.

Kid was stunned at how different he looked from Lexi. He had dark brown hair and baby blue eyes. He was tall for a seventeen-year-old, and had a kind smile. That smile was basically the only physical feature he and Lexi shared. Lexi waved at him as he walked alone down the aisle, and he waved slightly back and nodded at Kid, and then kept walking.

Two women walked down the aisle, both wearing blue dresses. One looked to be about twenty, the other a bit younger. Maybe eighteen. They smiled at all of the guests. A little girl stepped up, and Kid smiled when he saw Lexi's face light up like a Christmas tree.

Tori was the flower girl.

Lexi was smiling widely as Tori walked by, tossing rose petals on the ground. When she saw Lexi, she smiled widely and ran over, hugging her. The crowd let out a simultaneous "aww" and Lexi blushed brightly. She knelt down in front of her sister.

"I'll hug you later," she whispered softly. "After the wedding. Now go stand next to the two girls up there, okay?"

"Okay, Lexi!" She whispered back. She ran up, forgetting to continue tossing the rose petals. The crowd genuinely laughed, and Lexi sat back in her seat, blushing. Kid wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. She held his hands. The crowd stood up, and Kid and Lexi stood with them as the bride began walking down the aisle.

She had beautiful, flowing black hair. Almost like Tsubaki's, except Tsubaki's hair was longer. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown. Her lips were painted a bright red, and poking out from underneath her dress were blue shoes, the same color as the ocean in front of them. Her dress was simple- white with beautiful beading. Kid stared at her with awed eyes. He could see Lexi walking down that aisle… a white dress… he blushed lightly, hoping no one around them noticed. She smiled as she walked down the aisle, especially at Lexi. Max must have pointed her out to Alice beforehand or something. Lexi smiled back at her, and she kept walking. The crowd sat once she reached Max and the priest.

"Life is full of mysteries," the priest began. "We all knew that. The way I see it, life is made of two things: a beginning and an ending, in that order. But death is the opposite. Death is an ending, and a whole lot of beginnings after that. Today, we celebrate the beginning of the start of something new, a new way of death: between Max and Alice." Max took Alice's hands in his own, smiling widely. In his mind, Kid could see him and Lexi standing up there together.

"The rings?" the priest asked. The boy stepped forward. Max and Alice said their vows, and Max slid the ring onto Alice's slim finger. She was crying, just a bit. Kid glanced over at Lexi- she looked so happy for her brother, she was practically glowing. He turned his attention back to Alice and Max. Alice slipped the ring onto Max's finger and smiled tearfully at him.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said. "Max, you may kiss your bride."

The crowd burst into applause as Max leaned in and kissed Alice. Lexi cheered and clapped, and Kid reached over and took her hand. She turned to him, an overjoyed gleam in her eyes, and he smiled. He loved that about her- she was always so happy. She was the sunshine of their little group of friends back at the DWMA- even when times were tough, she usually stayed positive. Kid hoped she never lost that quality. He smiled again, staring at her.

"What?" She asked loudly, having to speak over the crowd. He shook his head with a smile.

"You're just… you," he yelled back. "You're perfect." A blush spread across her cheeks.

"No," she replied, "I'm not." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Yes, you are." He kissed her, right there, in the middle of the cheering crowd. "You're beautiful and perfect and I love you." She smiled and pulled him close to her.

"I love you, too," she said softly. She then turned as Max and Alice began walking up the aisle together, hand in hand. She and Kid both began clapping and cheering, Max and Alice beamed happily at them as they walked away, up the aisle and away from the crowd.

* * *

"He's been in there for ten hours," Stein said worriedly. Maka, Soul, Black Star, Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki had come to visit Lexi, and were surprised when they saw Kid sitting there, his eyes closed and his forehead leaning against hers. The situation was just a bit creepy because Lexi's eyes were still open wide and glowing silver.

"In Lexi's head?" Patty asked. "That's _possible_?"

"Yes," Stein answered. "Lexi is trapped inside her own mind, and can't find the way out. Kid decided to go in and show her the door. But I don't know what's taking him so long… finding her shouldn't be difficult…"

"Maybe time is different in Lexi's mind," Black Star suggested.

"Maybe…" Stein said quietly. They all watched Kid and Lexi. Their breathing matched each other, and Kid was still holding Lexi's hand. Maka sighed. She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

She just wanted her friends back.

* * *

Further down the beach, a tent was set up for the wedding reception. Kid held Lexi's hand as they walked with the crowd towards the tent. Lexi had seen people she used to know, and introduced Kid to them- mostly her friends that Calix had killed to get to her. They were all overjoyed to see her and to meet Kid.

The reception was beautiful. The light of day was just beginning to fade, and stars were popping out in the sky. The tent was set up near the water, and small, round tables sat underneath it, circled around an improvised dance floor in the middle. Fairy lights twinkled everywhere, making the entire place glow beautifully. Kid loved how the lights reflected in Lexi's eyes. They sat at a table together and applauded as Max and Alice walked in.

"Don't eat any of the food," Lexi told him. "It's like that Greek myth, the one about Persephone's garden- if you eat anything, you're stuck here forever." Kid nodded and pushed the plate of food he had been served away. She did the same with hers, and they sat and talked with the people around them. Lexi didn't know them.

Soon, music began playing. Alice and Max gravitated onto the dance floor for their first dance. Lexi watched with shining eyes, and Kid took her hand and held it. She smiled at him. Eventually, other couples moved onto the floor to dance and, as Kid expected she would, Lexi took both his hands in hers and pulled him up as well, leading him onto the floor.

They rotated in a small circle, her hands around his neck and her arms resting on his shoulders lightly. His hands came to rest on her waist, and he held her close to him. She leaned her forehead against his sweetly and looked into his eyes, and he blushed just a bit.

"So _this_ is the famous Death the Kid, huh, Lex?" The pair jumped and looked up- Max was standing there, holding Alice's hand and beaming at them. Lexi immediately hugged him.

"Congratulations!" She said happily. She hugged Alice, leaving Kid standing there somewhat awkwardly under Max's stare. Lexi seemed to notice his discomfort and took his hand, standing next to him again.

"So this is your boyfriend?" Max asked her.

"Yeah," she said loudly, shouting to be heard over the music. "This is Kid. Kid, this is my brother, Max, and Alice." Max reached over and firmly shook his hand, and Kid shook back, still a bit nervous. What would his girlfriend's family think of him? Would they like him? What if they hated him? He was making himself more and more nervous as Lexi talked with Max and Alice.

"I think Kid should meet the rest of the family," Max suggested, causing Kid to snap to attention. Lexi smiled and nodded excitedly.

"I'll get Tori," she said. "You get Mom and Dad." Max nodded, and headed off with Alice to find them. Lexi took Kid's hand and pulled him around the couples that were dancing together, looking for her little sister. Kid had butterflies in his stomach.

"Lexi, stop for a second," he said, tightening his hand around hers and halting her. She turned and looked at him.

"What is it?" She asked, noticing the worried look on his face. He took a deep breath.

"What if they don't like me?" He asked, a bit pale. Lexi sighed with a smile.

"Kid…" She said softly, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I don't understand why you're so nervous. You're a _Reaper_. You've fought Kishins, witches, even psychotic witch _henchmen_ who lock people in glass cages and fight weakened sixteen-year-old girls like a coward." She flinched a bit at the memories, then smiled softly at him. "My family is going to _love_ you, I promise. Besides, even if they don't- but they _will_- they're dead. It's not like they're going to come to your room at night and mess up the symmetry of it."

He laughed at that. Somehow, she always managed to make him feel better.

"Okay," he said, still laughing a bit. "Let's find your sister, shall we?" But Lexi was looking past him, smiling.

"Already got that covered," she said. She took his hand and led him to the wedding cake in the corner, where Tori was standing, trying to get some icing on her finger to eat without anyone noticing.

"What are you doing, Tori?" Lexi asked, her arms crossed in front of her and a playful smile on her face. Tori looked up and immediately blushed, then stepped away from the cake, hands clasped behind her back. Lexi laughed and bent down, picking her little sister up and holding her in her arms. Tori hugged her face and kissed her cheek, and Lexi giggled lightly.

"Let's go find Mom and Dad," she said, carrying Tori and leading Kid out from underneath the tent and over next to a rock. Once they were there, she set Tori down and the three waited patiently.

After a few minutes, Max arrived, leading their mom and dad with him. Alice had stayed behind in the party, to talk with her grandparents, whom she hadn't seen for six years. Lexi immediately ran up and hugged her father, then her mother as well.

"We're so glad you made it, Lexi," her mother said. Lexi smiled.

"Well, being unconscious in the hospital helps with that," she said with a smile. Kid looked at her.

"Correction: you're stuck in the Soul Master state. You're not at all unconscious, you're just locked inside your own mind," he said. Lexi blinked.

"Oh," she said, looking a bit shocked. "That's… weird." Her father laughed heartily.

"You're a weird girl, Lexi," he said, pulling her into another hug. 'Weird things happen to weird people." Lexi laughed. Kid suddenly felt a small tugging on his sleeve, and he looked down at Tori.

"Are you Kid?" She asked. "Because you have stripes in your hair and Lexi told me she thinks they make you look cute." Kid chuckled and looked at Lexi, who blushed brightly and clasped her hands behind her back. Kid knelt in front of Tori.

"Yes, I am," he said. "And you're Tori, aren't you?" She nodded, and Kid grinned at her.

"You were a _beautiful_ flower girl," he said with a smile. Her face lit up, looking proud of herself, and he chuckled and stood. Lexi's father held out his hand to Kid.

"My name is Ryan," he said, shaking Kid's hand firmly. "I'm Lexi's father."

"Death the Kid," Kid replied. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"You seem nervous," he said with a smile. "I don't understand why, though. We're dead, it's not like I'm going to pull a shotgun on you." He chuckled, and Kid smiled softly.

"This is my wife, Ariana," he continued, gesturing to Lexi's mom. She smiled at him and shook his hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kid," she said. "Lexi's told us so much about you, so I just want to say: welcome to the family." She smiled widely at him, but Kid was confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "I'm not part—"

"You proposed to Lexi," her father said. "While _I _think you're still too young for marriage, a promise is a promise, and we're happy for you both. But keep in mind…" he stepped close to Kid, their faces inches apart. "If you hurt my daughter, I _will _get you. Seriously, I will find you and—"

"Dad!" Lexi interrupted sharply. She stepped up and took Kid's hand. "Relax, okay?"

"I would never even _dream _of hurting Lexi," Kid said. "She's the love of my life." Lexi flushed, her face turning red, and squeezed his hand gently.

Max raised his wrist and looked at a watch Kid hadn't noticed before. "Lexi, you should really get going," he said. "Kid's been inside your head for nearly twenty-three hours now, he can't stay much longer."

"What happens if he does?" she asked, now worried.

"He's asleep," her mother explained, "while you're awake. You're both in the afterlife right now, but you, Lexi, need Kid to lead you out of here. Because you're the Soul Master, sweetie, you can stay as long as you want- but if Kid stays for more than twenty-four hours, he's stuck here. Basically, he dies." Lexi's eyes widened.

"I'll visit soon," she said, hugging her entire family quickly. "Congrats, Max. I love you all, see you later." She grabbed Kid's hand and ran away from the rock, pulling him behind her. A white light opened in front of them, and Lexi ran in without hesitation. Kid followed quickly.

When they came out on the other side, they were back in the field, underneath the tree. Lexi looked around anxiously, and finally, spotting the woods they had come from earlier, began running towards them with him in tow.

"Lexi, calm down," he called to her as they ran.

"No!" she called back. "I've got to get you home!"

"Lexi, stop!" He squeezed her hand, stopping her. "We've got time, you can relax."

"No, you don't get it, Kid," she said softly. "Time is different here. A minute spent in here is ten minutes out there. Six minutes here is an hour there. We're losing time quickly, and I am _not _going to let you die. Not here, not now."

He sighed. "Okay, let's go, then." They kept running, and soon enough burst through the line of trees and into the dark forest.

"So I'm supposed to be showing you a door," Kid said to her.

"What does the door look like, then?" She asked, looking around. He stopped.

"I've got no idea."

She stopped and stood next to him, looking around at the skeletal trees. "Then how do we get out of here?" She turned in a full circle, looking around for any possible way out, then clenched her fists.

"This is taking too long!" she said, exasperated. "If we stay any longer, you're gonna die!" She looked close to tears, and Kid walked up to her and took her hands in his.

"Calm down," he said softly, pulling her close to him and leaning his forehead against hers. "We'll figure it out. I'm not going to die on you." She sighed.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet and apologetic. "I just… I don't want to know how you felt all those times _I _almost died on _you_." He leaned in and kissed her gently. She kissed him back softly, then suddenly stopped.

"Kid, look," she said, shocked. She was looking past him, and he turned around, still holding her hand.

An ornately carved wooden door stood in the middle of the woods, nestled snugly between two trees. It had a silver hue to it- silver seemed to be a running theme with Lexi.

"This is it," she said excitedly. "This is the way out! Kid, we did it!" She hugged him, laughing happily. He held her tight with a huge smile on his face.

He had done it.

He didn't let go of her hand as they walked towards the door. Putting his hand on the silver handle, he twisted it and pushed the door open. Looking through, he could see him and Lexi in the hospital. He was still leaning down, his forehead pressed to hers and his eyes closed. Her eyes were wide open and glowing brighter than ever. Stein, Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty all stood near them, watching intently. Stein was constantly checking his watch- he must have known of the time limits as well.

"Death, what _happened_?" Lexi asked as she watched the scene. "Usually I pass out from being in the Soul Master state, but getting stuck there? I don't think that's ever happened… with _any _Soul Master…" She turned to him, a murderous look in her eyes. "Please tell me Titus and Scorpius are dead. If they're not, I'm going back to that damn castle and I'm killing them myself."

"They are," he said, squeezing her hand. "Stein killed Titus, and you killed Scorpius. It's over now, we just had to get you back." She sighed and nodded.

"Then let's go." He nodded, and together, they stepped through the door and left Lexi's mind.

* * *

Kid's eyes opened slowly. His forehead was still pressed to Lexi's, his hand clenching hers like it never wanted to let go. He could feel the other people in the room watching him, so he slowly raised his head and looked at them.

"We're back," was all he said to them. He then turned his attention to Lexi.

Her eyes were wide open, and still glowing. Her hands were shaking some. As he watched, however, the glowing began to fade. Slowly, her eyes began to turn back to that soft, beautiful hazel he had always loved. Once they had fully returned to their normal color, she blinked about three times and stared at him. Gently, for she was almost too weak to do it, she squeezed his hand slightly. Just that simple action seemed to take whatever energy she had in her body, and she passed out cold. However, Kid smiled.

"She's back," he said softly. He looked at his friends- they all had huge smiles on their faces, and even Stein was smiling slightly.

"She won't have much energy when she wakes up," he said. "She'll sleep for a bit now, then wake up again later, but she'll still be extremely tired. But knowing her, she's going to get out of bed for some reason, and we need to make sure that doesn't happen. She'll just hurt herself more."

Kid nodded. Honestly, he didn't care about anything else at the moment. He didn't care that she was sleeping, as long as he knew she was going to wake up.

He had done it. He had brought Lexi back.

* * *

**Awww! Hope you all liked the little wedding there. The next chapter is gonna have a little fluff in it, I'm so excited. I've just been planning this one scene out in my head for a week and it's so fluffy and cute and GAAAAHHH! Thanks for the reviews, and I don't own Soul Eater. Please review, even though I've been extraordinarily busy lately, reviews motivate me to do faster updates!**


	23. Chapter 23

Black.

That was all she saw. Just black. Lexi could feel things, like the blankets around her and the pillow beneath her head, but all she saw was black. Her eyelids felt heavy with sleep, and she didn't want to open them. She knew where she was- in the hospital. Again. '_They should just reserve a bed in here for me_,' she thought. She almost laughed when she realized how true it was. Kid was right, she needed to be more careful.

Kid's face flashed into her mind. His perfect golden eyes stared softly into hers, the stripes in his hair making him look as adorable as ever. He was smiling at her.

His face faded into the black again, leaving as quickly as it had appeared, and she sighed. She wanted to see him, she wanted him here with her. Chances were she wasn't supposed to be walking around. But if he couldn't be with her in her head, she would go and find him for real.

She forced her eyes open- they were practically sealed shut with fatigue. That didn't make sense- why was she still tired? She had just woken up. She stared at the white ceiling of the hospital, wondering why she couldn't feel an IV in her arm like she usually did when she woke up here. She didn't feel any injuries, she was just _tired_. If she wasn't hurt, why was she in the hospital?

She sat up with some difficulty. Her head was spinning, and her muscles were sore. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and set her feet on the ground. There was no one else in the hospital with her. She wanted to lay back down and go back to sleep. Every time she blinked, she had to remind herself how to open her eyes again, but she forced herself to stay awake.

More than anything, even more than the need to sleep, she wanted to see Kid. She _needed_ to, she had to find him. Judging by the clock hanging on the wall above the window, he would still be in class. She knew which one- they had had the same class that hour, and always sat next to each other. They rarely paid attention, and were always passing notes to each other.

Maybe he had saved her a seat.

She finally stood from the bed. Immediately, she knew that leaving was a bad idea. Her muscles were loose and tired from sleep, and her head was spinning like a tornado. She didn't care, though, as she walked to the door of the infirmary. She pushed it open weakly, her entire body screaming at her to go back to that bed and sleep for an eternity, and peeked out into the hall. She knew she was losing time to find him- soon, class would end, and the hall would be swarming with students. She would be run over in ten seconds flat. She stepped into the hallway, leaning against the wall for support. She began walking through the corridors, looking for the right room. He would be in Stein's class right now, so all she had to do was find the right door.

After walking for just five minutes, Lexi was ready to collapse again. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she forced herself to stay awake as she finally found the right door. She could hear Stein talking inside and weakly turned the knob, walking in. Stein turned and looked at her, but she didn't pay him any attention as she scanned the rows of students.

Just then, he stood up at his desk, staring at her with a shocked expression on his face. "Lexi!" She blinked. "Hey, Kid," she said weakly. She was swaying on her feet. Kid ran down to her, catching her just as her knees gave out and she fell to the ground. He went down with her, pulling her closer to him so she was curled up in his lap. Her head fell against his chest as he cradled her close.

"Why are you up?" He asked softly, in her ear. Her eyes were beginning to close from exhaustion.

"I wanted... to see you..." Her voice was thick with sleep already. Kid looked up at Stein, who had just finished writing something on the board.

'She needs to sleep again,' it said. Kid nodded and turned his attention back to Lexi. He could feel every eye in the class on him, but he didn't care. Her eyes were hazel again, that was all that mattered. He pulled her closer to him. He was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his chin resting on the top of her head. She was curled up in his lap, leaning against him and nearly asleep.

"My brother got married," she said quietly, her eyes slowly sliding closed as she leaned against him. It felt so good to be back in his arms...

"I know," he said softly, stroking her hair with a gentle touch. "I was there, remember?" She smiled softly and looked up at him.

"Oh, yeah," she said tiredly, the memory coming back. "And I had shoes for once..." He chuckled. "Yes, you did, Lexi." She yawned tiredly, and he smiled.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart," he said, stroking her hair again.

"No, I want to stay awake with you," she said, though she really wanted to just relax, and maybe fall asleep. But only if she was next to him...

"Don't worry about that," he assured her gently. "Just go to sleep. I'll be right next to you when you wake up. I promise." She hesitated, then nodded.

"Okay, Kid..." Her voice was almost inaudible. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Lexi." He kissed the top of her head, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. She was asleep in seconds, curled up in his lap like that. He smiled softly and kissed the top of her head, then looked at Stein.

"Do you mind, Professor?" He asked. Stein shook his head, and Kid lifted Lexi up and walked out of the room with her in his arms. He carried her back to the infirmary and laid her down on a bed, then pulled the blankets up around her. He brushed her hair gently back away from her face and sat in the chair next to her bed.

* * *

The entire time Lexi was asleep, Kid almost never left her side. People came and went through the infirmary, and they always saw Kid there, holding Lexi's hand and stroking the back of her hand gently with his thumb. He spent the rest of that day with her. When night came, he told the school nurse he promised he'd be next to her when she woke up, and she allowed him to stay overnight. He sat in the chair in the dark for a few hours, and when it got uncomfortable, he pulled the blankets off of Lexi and slid into the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. It felt so good to be so close to her again.

This time, he wouldn't let anything separate them.

* * *

"Soul, where are we going?" Maka called up to her weapon as they rode through the streets of Death City on Soul's motorbike. She had been in the middle of cooking dinner for them when he came up and turned off the oven.

"What are you doing?" She had asked him, raising a brow. He had stayed silent, handing her jacket to her. He then took her hand and pulled her to the door, grabbing the keys to his bike and his helmet as he did. The entire time, he didn't say a word, but he had had a sneaky smile on his face. He led her outside their apartment building to his bike, and helped her on behind him.

"Where are we going?" She blinked against the falling snow. He had started his bike, and it roared to life. He pulled it out onto the street, and they began rocketing through the city.

Maka had no idea what was going on. His smile told her that there was nothing _wrong_, but it wasn't like Soul to just grab her and randomly bring her somewhere. He was more the lay-on-the-couch-with-a-bowl-of-popcorn kind of guy.

"Just wait!" He called back to her. "I have a surprise for you!"

Maka smiled as her hair blew back in the wind. Soul almost _never_ surprised her. She waited silently, her curiosity piqued as she held tightly to his waist.

After another ten minutes on the bike, Maka was frozen. She had laced her own fingers together around Soul's waist, but now it felt like they were stuck together. They pulled up to their destination- one of the most high-class restaurants in Death City. Soul started to get off the bike, but Maka's fingers wouldn't separate enough to let him up.

"Maka," he said, chuckling, "I love you, but we're here. Time to let go."

"I c-can't..." She stammered.

"Why not?"

"M-my fingers... t-they're frozen t-together..."

He looked down at her hands and smiled, then reached down and pried them apart. He helped her off the bike. She was shivering.

"D-don't you think it's a l-little _cold_ f-for a bike ride?" She said, rubbing her upper arms. He chuckled and took her hand.

"Well, _maybe_ if you didn't wear a miniskirt everywhere, you wouldn't be cold," he said, laughing as he led her inside. The inside of the restaurant was designed to look like an ocean in the middle of a desert- the color scheme was a beautiful ocean blue, and there were aquariums filled with different types of sea life everywhere. The water reflected off the ceiling. It was beautiful. Soul had reserved a private table in the corner for him and Maka. She took off her jacket as she sat down, looking around.

"Soul, why are we here?" She asked him. He just smiled and shook his head.

"You'll have to guess," he replied mysteriously as the waiter walked up. Maka smiled softly.

She was in for an interesting night.

* * *

Four hours later, Maka was still wondering what was going on. Soul had dragged her all around the city, talking about everything _but_ why they were out. They went to dinner, a movie, even the music store, where, to her surprise and happiness, he played her a song on the piano

Currently they were sitting in the park, on the swings. Maka looked up at the stars and smiled. She remembered there were stars out like this the night she and Soul first... kissed...

Her eyes went wide. "That's it!" She yelled, breaking the silence and leaping off the swing. He jumped, heart pounding at the sudden noise.

"Maka, don't shout like that! You scared the hell out of me!" He said, staring at her.

"This is an anniversary date!" She said, staring at him and waiting for him to confirm it. He grinned.

"You finally figured it out, Albarn," he said. "Took you long enough. And isn't it the guy who's supposed to forget important dates?"

"I didn't _forget_!" She said defensively, crossing her arms and staring at him. "I just... accidentally wrote it down for two months from now?" She smiled sheepishly at him, and he chuckled.

"Sure," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Just admit it, you _finally_ messed up." She pouted, then pulled her new book out of the bag.

"MAKA CHOP!"

He laid on the ground, groaning in pain. Why had he bought her a _hardcover_ book? He should have known she would just use it as a weapon! She knelt down next to him, and he looked up at her.

"I love you," she said softly. He chuckled and sat up.

"You've got a funny way of showing it, Maka," he replied. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him.

"But I love you, too."

* * *

**Little SoulxMaka fluff for you there, because I haven't done much with them lately. And the scene where Lexi falls asleep in Kid's lap... Been planning that for three weeks. SO FLUFFY. I love it!**

**I don't own Soul Eater. Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

Kid had kept his promise: he was right beside Lexi when she woke the next day.

It was late morning when her eyes opened. The sunlight streamed through the blinds on the windows, shining on her eyes and forcing them open. She stared at the ceiling for a second before she realized Kid was sitting in the chair next to her bed.

"Hey," he said softly, taking her hand. "Welcome back."

"Hi," she responded. "Can I have a hug?" He chuckled and leaned in, hugging her and kissing her cheek. "I missed you," he said, taking her hand again. "You fell asleep in class."

"Yeah, I remember," she replied with a roll of her eyes and a small smile. "I remember everything, actually." He grinned and kissed her gently. "Good."

She pushed herself up. Kid put his hand on the small of her back and steadied her, but she didn't need his help. She found she had a surprising amount of energy, despite the fact that whenever she went to sleep, she usually woke up tired. She felt as if she were on a sugar rush.

"So what day is it?" She asked him. They should probably be in class right now, it was about eleven in the morning.

"Saturday," he answered. Good, no class. She pulled the sheets off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. More than anything, she wanted to _move_, not be cooped up in this tiny hospital room. Out the window, she could see it was a beautiful day, and she wanted to be a part of it. She began to stand up, but Kid stopped her.

"Are you sure you should be getting up right now?" He asked, a worried look on his face as he held her hand. She nodded.

"I feel fine," she said, standing up and stretching. "More than fine, really. I feel great. Come on, let's go outside!" She took his hand and pulled him to the door. He grinned and followed happily, glad she was feeling better.

* * *

_'Note to self_,' Kid thought ten minutes later. 'Never _let Lexi have sugar_ _again_.'

She was dragging him all around the city at top speed, not stopping to rest once. She hugged Maka and Soul when she saw them. She hugged Tsubaki and Liz and Patty. She even hugged Black Star, which had _never_ happened before. She was so hyper, it was as if someone had given her an injection of coffee and an energy drink mixed together.

After about half an hour of crazy-hyper Lexi, she finally calmed down and resumed her normal, calm and collected personality. She stuck close to Kid and held his hand as she usually did. Her necklace gleamed in the November sunlight. It was crazy how that necklace- that small, simple piece of metal on a chain- had survived what Lexi had been through. Heck, it was a miracle _she_ had survived it. Without a trace of doubt, Lexi was tough. She had survived basically hell on earth, and had somehow managed to come out stronger on the other side.

Just then, Lexi pointed at something down the street. Kid's eyes followed the direction of her finger and he saw Stein approaching them. He instinctively pushed her behind him a bit as their professor got closer to them, protecting her.

"Lexi," Stein said as he reached them. "Good to see you're back on your feet."

"Thank you, Professor," she responded, stepping out from behind Kid and smiling at their teacher. "It feels good to he back." He nodded.

"So are you feeling up for some training? We could-"

"No," Kid cut in. "_No_ training. After what she-"

"Kid." Lexi gently touched his arm, shutting him up. "I feel fine. Relax, I could actually go for some training right now." She smiled at him, knowing her smile would calm him down like it always did. And she was right. He sighed and kissed her softly. "Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt again..." She nodded and hugged him. "Don't worry about it." She then left with Stein. Kid sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, then started home.

* * *

"Soul Shield!" Stein shouted. Lexi held out her hand and a small, silver shield formed around a rock five feet away from her. She grinned proudly at the perfectly executed move, and looked to Stein for approval. He nodded.

"Good," he praised her. "You're advancing. Time to work on Soul Project. Spirit!"

Maka's father jumped down from the tree behind Lexi. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he landed. "Don't do that!" She yelled. He smirked. "Sorry," he said somewhat sarcastically, walking over and standing with Stein. He transformed into a scythe and Stein got ready to fight.

"I want you to use Soul Project," Stein said to her. "Do you remember that day in class when you- OW!"

Spirit flew out of Stein's hands and dropped to the forest floor with a _thump_. Stein shook his hand in the air, trying to get the burning feeling out of it, and looked up at Lexi. She was smiling As her eyes faded back from silver to normal.

"Better than last time?" She asked, crossing her arms with a sly grin. He smiled.

"Much. You're advancing well. But that's enough training for today. Go home, Kid's probably worried sick." She nodded and ran off through the trees happily. Spirit changed back from weapon form and stood, watching her leave.

"Looks like getting kidnapped really did something to help her," he observed. Stein nodded in agreement.

"When people are thrown into a life or death situation, they have to learn how to adapt," he replied. "Unlocking her powers was Lexi's was of adapting to the situation she was thrown in. She only has one more power to unlock, and then..."

"Then what?" Spirit asked, curious.

"Then she's the Soul Master."

* * *

Lexi walked back to Gallows Manor happily, excited about her progress for the first time in a long time. She stopped in the street when she saw Kid, sitting on the edge of the front steps and facing away from her. The sun was beginning to set- she hadn't realized how long she'd been training. An evil smile appeared on her face and she snuck up behind him. When she was just behind him, she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"AAH!" He yelled, convinced for a second he was being attacked, then calming when he saw who his supposed "attacker" was. He grinned and pulled her onto his lap before kissing her cheek. "How'd training go?"

"Great," she said, holding onto him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I did Soul Shield and Soul Project _flawlessly_." She smiled proudly.

"That's good," he said. "You're not going to pass out, are you?" He looked worried suddenly, and she giggled.

"No, Kid," she reassured him. "I feel absolutely fine. Now quit worrying! I'm perfectly-" she stopped, noticing something on the power line pole across the street. She got off of his lap and ran over, pulling the piece of paper off the wood and reading it.

"A party?" She called to him, looking up from the paper. He groaned and fell on his back on the porch.

"Yes, Father _insists_ on having one each year, and they just _happen_ to fall on my birthday," he said. "You weren't here yet for my birthday last year." By then, she had walked back across the street and laid next to him on the porch, staring at the sky. "What should I wear?" He looked over at her and chuckled. "A dress," he said. "But you'd look beautiful in anything..."

"Aww..." She leaned over and kissed him. "Thank you." She then got up. He sat up, watching her. "Where are you going?"

"Maka's house!" She called as she walked away. "As teenage girls, it is our solemn duty to discuss what we're going to wear to such an event!" She blew him a kiss and ran off. He chuckled, a light blush spreading across his cheeks as he put his hands behind his head and stared up at the orange-tinted clouds.

* * *

It was Friday night- the night of the party. Most, if not all of the city had shown up and was packed into a large room in the middle of the school. Even Lord Death was there. The party was in full swing- people were talking, laughing, dancing, and eating. But everywhere Kid looked, he couldn't find Lexi. He was getting upset and worried at the same time until he saw Maka walk in. Lexi had gone to her house to get ready, so they would be together... Right?

Maka saw Soul across the room and went to him. He smiled and blushed as soon as he saw her. She wore a light purple dress and her hair was down for once, instead of in its usual pigtails. She came over and kissed him gently.

"You look handsome," she said, looking at his suit and tie. He loosened the tie a bit around his next. "This damn thing is choking me," he complained. She giggled and loosened it for him. "Come on, let's dance." He smiled and led her onto the dance floor, putting his hands on her waist. She leaned her head against his chest and they rotated in a small circle, just enjoying the moment.

Kid was getting anxious, watching the door for the moment Lexi would walk in. And when that moment came, his heart nearly stopped beating.

She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was down and curled at the bottom. Her eyes sparkled- and not just because of the fairy lights his father had managed to light the entire city with. Her dress- people were staring. It was strapless, and stopped just above her knees. It was silver, and sparkled whenever she moved. Her shoes were silver as well. Blushing brightly, Kid walked up to her.

"Hi," she said, a bit shyly.

"You look incredible," he said, staring into her eyes. She blushed some and looked down. "Silver's kind of a running theme with me," she responded. She pulled a small, rectangular package from behind her back and handed it to him.

"What's this?" He asked, tearing off the- of course, silver- wrapping paper to reveal a picture frame. He turned it over and gasped.

It was a picture of the two of them, standing on the balcony of the school, with snow falling lightly around them. They were kissing, and Kid realized she had somehow gotten a picture of their first kiss.

"How did you... How did you get this?" He asked, staring at it. She smiled.

"I have my ways," she said mysteriously. "Happy birthday, Kid." He looked up at her and kissed her softly. "I love it, and I love you," he whispered. "Thank you."

"I love you too. Now come on," she said, taking his hand. "Let's go dance." A slow song was playing, and she set the picture on a table and led him onto the floor. He held her waist with a gentle touch, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They began dancing in a small circle, holding each other as close as possible.

"I love you, Lexi," he whispered softly, staring into her eyes.

"I love you too, Kid," she whispered back. She leaned up and kissed him, and for a moment, they were back on that balcony. Snow fell around them as they shared the kiss that started it all.

* * *

**I am literally about to cry. THAT'S IT! That's the end of the story. But I will ****_not_**** say goodbye to Lexi- she's appearing in future stories.**

**Mwahahaha! I am making Lexi Kid's long-term girlfriend! Yes. Don't fight me on that one. Because you will lose that fight.**

**To all of my reviewers, I thank you: Confetti108, Mary Rachel, soul eater republican95, Iluvhamster, LunaLightSerenade, Evalyd Yamazaki, and Katie. It was you all who gave me the inspiration and motivation to be what I am, and make this story as popular as it has become. Each of you gets a cupcake and a unicorn. To those silent readers who have given this story more views, favorites, and follows as I possibly thought it would get, I thank you as well. Each of you gets a brownie.**

**I have some new ideas I think you're all going to love, but before I begin writing them, I have to update my other stories. Because I have been a ****_bad_**** author and neglected them. So I'll see you all soon!**

**Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.**

**Crazychick14**


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